Baptism
by SkyStrider
Summary: Maomolin hosts Ryoga, Akari, and Akari's family at a very special country villa where he introduces them to some surprising guests. But Happosai has some dark designs for Akari that may wreck the celebration. Can the intervention of a friend from overseas save the day? Part of the Bindings/Next Cycle continuum.
1. Happosai

A/N: I've been editing "The Wedding" and I'm unhappy with the story flow. The story is too long and jumps around too much, so I'm changing it to focus primarily on Kasumi, Tofu, Ranma, and Akane. I've tossed a lot of it (the two chapters published are staying), but some parts are worth saving and spinning off to their own story. This is one of those pieces. I hope you enjoy it while I put the parent story back together again.

For those not familiar with the Continuum, there are notes in my profile.

* * *

Chapter 1: Happosai (Sunday 12/22/02)

Happosai got off the plane at Tokyo International and ducked into the men's room. He walked through the small maze until he found a convenient moment to vanish from mortal minds. Then he walked unseen out of the restroom and resumed walking with the crowd. At the Custom and Immigrations lines, he carefully attached himself to a large family, so anyone watching the security monitors would assume that his passport was in the stack the father passed to the harried clerk. Happosai continued to follow the family to the Baggage Claim area where he discretely took his leave of them. After he joined a large tour group heading for the buses, he dropped his "cloaking" and emerged from the crowd to catch a bus back to Nerima.

"Done," he thought to himself. "I've seen where Ono's friend, Mausu, has set up Shampoo in New York. She has to stay there long enough to get her bearings. I don't think she'll be able to leave the safe house until a few weeks after the wedding. She certainly won't leave until Mausu returns. He and his friends are all she has right now. Meanwhile, I need to find out what's been happening while I was gone…"

He sat silently ignoring everyone until the bus reached Nerima, and then he headed straight to the Cat Café. Once there he invoked his "cloak" again and snuck into the building. Given that it was early Sunday morning, the place was not open yet. He stepped over a warding spell in the hallway and crept to the main dining room. There was no sign of anyone about. "Mousse is probably with the Tendos," he noted. "But I thought I'd sense Cologne here at least. Where is she?"

He reflected further on the matter until it struck him: today was the Winter Solstice, a holy day for the Amazons. "She's outside watching the Sun," he thought. "I wonder if Mousse is with her." He retraced his steps and slipped out of the building. Checking that no one was about, he dropped his cloak spell and walked around to the back of the restaurant. Leaping up to grab on to the top of the wooden stockade fence, he peered into the small garden and saw Cologne sitting on the ground in the middle of a stone circle. The stones were all about the size of a fist and were of different rock types. In the garden, there were also several small stone structures scattered about. Cologne's eyes were closed. In front of her were two small metal chalices. One contained ash, and the other contained water.

Happosai pulled himself up to sit on the fence, but didn't say a word. Instead he pulled out a pocket watch and noted that it was about 10AM. He put the watch away and then closed his eyes and began to chant softly under his breath. He ran through a set of Amazon prayers and checked his watch again. At 10:06, he began another set of prayers. Cologne's eyes snapped open and looked around, finally noticing the gnome sitting on her fence. She snorted and then smiled. Closing her eyes, she began praying out loud, matching Happosai. Happosai raised his voice a little so she could hear him now. When they finished the prayer, she beckoned Happosai to join her, so he did.

Happosai started to pull out his watch again when Cologne stopped him with a touch on his arm. She then pointed wordlessly at a particular small stone structure in her garden. As Happosai watched, sunlight managed to shine between the pillars of the structure to light up a small quartz stone in the circle about Cologne and Happosai. Together, the two elders recited another set of prayers. When they finished, they stood silently for a few minutes until the sun moved enough to shine through another stone structure. This time, the light bounced among several quartz stones, causing them all to glow.

"A perfect replica of the Time Circle," Happosai murmured.

"Of course," Cologne answered. "I am an Elder after all. Would you like to help finish the ritual?"

Happosai nodded and picked up the chalice filled with ash. Cologne picked up the chalice filled with water. "As the Darkness must give way to the Light, so let our past yield to our future," they chanted together. At that, Happosai poured the ash out of the chalice he held. A light breeze arose and blew the ash away, so the ash never hit the ground.

Cologne looked please and said: "And let the future bear fruit to our Hopes and Dreams." With that she poured the water from her chalice and the breeze became a strong wind that carried the water away."

The two stood in the Circle silently until the quartz stones slowly stopped glowing as the sun continued on its appointed round. Finally Cologne looked at the ground. "I see no ash or water inside the circle. That's a good omen," she commented.

"Good," Happosai said with a nod. "We could use a little luck."

Cologne sighed and nodded. Then she seemed to pull herself together. "Come along, old man. Let's get some breakfast." She started toward the house and then stopped. "Happosai?" she prompted.

"Yes?"

"Thanks. I could use the company," she told him as she started forward again.

"No problem," he answered as he followed her. "I'm a little surprised Mousse wasn't here though. This ceremony is a big part of the Tribe."

They walked into the building and Cologne said with another sigh: "Had he shown up, I would have had him join me. But I didn't think it was appropriate to prompt him. His path is different than the Village, and I need to let him find it."

"How is he?" Happosai asked as they entered the kitchen.

"Better than could be expected," she replied. "Physically, he's completely healed. He's been working out with Ranma and his fighting form has returned in full – if not better. Mentally, he's improved too – mainly because he's not focused on Shampoo anymore, so he's paying more attention to details."

"And spiritually?" Happosai prompted.

She gave a small sigh again as she pulled out the ingredients for breakfast. "Spiritually – he's a mess. His soul is so raw. Kasumi literally stitched him back together and somehow spun patches for the pieces that were undone by Shampoo and the Shadow. It's a wonder he doesn't spend the night screaming in terror. I think Ono must have put a Shield over him, but I don't know how he's powering it." She stopped and looked penetratingly at Happosai for a moment. "Did you know Ono is not fully human?" she asked.

Happosai simply nodded. "Yes, I've known ever since I laid eyes on him," he answered honestly. "He's mostly human though."

"What are the Huli Jing called here?" she quizzed curiously as she began breaking eggs.

"Kitsunes," he answered her succinctly. "Ono's human side descends from a long line of mages too. He's also a lot older than he looks and has a fair amount of experience. He's studied many traditions so he can draw from a fairly large power base. It's one of the reasons he's such a good Healer."

"And now he's taken up with a pretty young woman," Cologne smirked.

"Some fellas have all the luck," Happosai agreed with a wave of his hand. He returned to the original topic. "Mousse will be all right. He's been hanging out with some of the most determined survivors I know. It's been rubbing off on him."

"I hope your right. Life hasn't been fair to him."

"Is that why you're still here?" he asked gently.

Cologne paused for moment and looked down. Then she continued to prepare the food again and said: "My heir did this to him. I taught her to be hard and ruthless." Happosai threw a very direct and skeptical look at her. "Besides," she shrugged. "I have nowhere else to go."

"You could return to the Village," he suggested.

"And do what?" she responded quietly with a shrug. "My influence with the Tribal Council is at an all-time low. No one sees me as a pariah. Instead, they feel sorry for me – which is even worse. I'm seen as past my prime. No one will come to me for advice anymore. No one will come to me as a student. I will not get another protégé." Happosai started to say something and thought better of it. Cologne continued: "At least here I'm still respected. Mousse listens to me, so I'm of use to him. The Mages of Nerima are starting to trust me. The fighters want me to teach them. I have a purpose here. I have a place. That will do."

Happosai was quiet for a few minutes as she continued to put breakfast together. "And what about you?" Cologne asked.

"What about me what?" he replied evasively.

Cologne gave him a very direct look. "Happosai, I can look at a person and know their lineage. I've known, I've always known. Heather's husband, Shua, was sterile. The Elders wanted to dissolve the marriage because Heather was one of our best warriors and wanted her to breed. Shua was to be thrown out of the Tribe. Then miraculously, Heather is pregnant and both Heather and Shua insist he is the father. But the Council suspects, yet they don't make an issue: Heather is having a child."

She looked at Happosai's 'innocent' face and continued: "When my grandchild is born, initially there is some concern. But the child's sire has a few – very few mind you – redeeming qualities. We hope for the best and are rewarded: Shui excels as a warrior and, as an added bonus, is an excellent tactician. She is also a master at tribal politics – probably the result of her sneaky sire." Happosai adopted a blank look, but Cologne ignored him adding: "Shui rises in the Tribe. When she becomes smitten with a chef in a Han village, we order her to find a warrior instead. What does she do? She trains the chef to fight and he does well enough to earn a place in our Village. They are married, and Shampoo is born one year later."

The old man took the mixing bowl from Cologne and walked over to the griddle. He adjusted the heat and then started to ladle the mixture onto the griddle. "And what does this have to do with me?" he asked.

"Cut it out, Happosai," Cologne sighed. "You're Shui's father."

Happosai sighed in turn. "No," he replied. Shui's father was Shua. He impregnated Heather and he was there for his child."

Cologne looked surprised at Happosai; then her eyes narrowed. "So that's how it was done!" she said.

Now Happosai shrugged. "I wouldn't have minded, but Heather had some very definite opinions about things – a lot like her mother." He smiled as Cologne hit him with a long wooden spoon. "You weren't sure though. If you thought I'd really slept with Heather, you would have killed me when I showed up on the beach again."

"But she hated you! Why did she turn to you?" Cologne asked.

"She didn't really hate me," he laughed. "She only said that so you would leave her alone. Your daughter was a bit of a rogue and we got along quite well. Besides, who else would help her defy the Tribal Council? Heather loved Shua very much and he loved her. I'm not completely heartless, so I helped them. Shua and I spoke to a Han doctor, and he helped set everything up. I made a point of not being anywhere near the Village at the appointed time – another reason none of you were 100% sure." Happosai's face turned serious then: "But Shui's father was Shua, despite my contributions. I mostly made a point of not interfering, even if I did watch from a distance."

"Mostly?" Cologne said with a raised eyebrow.

"I may have whispered in Shui's ear from time-to-time," he admitted.

"And did you whisper into Shui's ear about Chushi?" she pressed.

"Nope," he said with a smirk. "I just encouraged her to think outside the box. We kept in touch by letter mostly. I was established in Japan by then."

"So you knew about Shampoo then," Cologne stated – it was definitely not a question.

She was wrong though. "I knew Shui was pregnant, but we lost touch before the birth," he said soberly. "Both of us had our hands full and events moved out of our control. I was 'indisposed' when she died. When I eventually learned of her death, I was heartbroken." Happosai sighed again.

"I was too," Cologne admitted sadly. "I had Chushi and Shampoo move in with me. We all grieved together." She flipped over the food on the grill.

Happosai nodded. "I didn't know about Shampoo until I met you on the beach and Shampoo called you great-grandmother," he said as he jumped down to get some plates.

The two took their meal into the formal room and sat down. They ate in silence until Cologne asked: "Happosai, where is Shampoo?"

He looked at her and considered his options. "It's better that you don't know," he told her finally.

"It won't work," she warned him. "Whatever you do, you can't hide her from the Council. And she must be punished for what she did to Mousse."

"She is being punished," he said firmly. "She lost everything. She can never be an Amazon again."

Cologne shook her head. "I understand what you are saying, but it's not enough for many on the Council."

"And what about you?" he asked. "Is it enough for you?"

Cologne looked down at her plate. "She almost took Mousse's soul…but now she's lost her own. I suppose there is justice in that." She paused for a few moments and then added: "But it doesn't matter. I was a witness at her trial. I have no say in her punishment." After a couple of minutes of silence, Happosai spoke up and changed the subject. When they finished, he helped clean up and then took his leave.

* * *

"This is bad," he thought after he left the restaurant. "Very bad. The Amazons know who Shampoo's grandsire is. That means Henna may be aware of a connection between Shampoo and me. She may figure out that I'll try and hide Shampoo. She'll be looking for something unusual before the Anathema begins to burn out and before Shampoo is properly hidden."

He bounced up to a nearby rooftop and looked for a suitable place to think. Spying a closed office building, he bounced to one of the building's high ledges that overlooked Nerima market. He sat down and stared sightlessly at the marketplace. Since it was Sunday, the market place was in full swing, but the constant noise did not distract Happosai. "I need to buy time," he thought to himself. "I need to distract Henna until Ono's tricks have consumed the Anathema spell. (1) After that, Henna will fixate on attacking Ono's Circles until she finally reaches the doppelganger. By then, Shampoo's trail will be long gone and Henna will be unable to find her. Henna will also be too busy dealing with the doppelganger's backlash for a little while after that. That should get us pass the Equinox…"

He sat there thinking for some time until a familiar voice rose from the crowd. "So you think we should go to Ginza?" Akane asked someone.

"I think Akari wants something more cutting edge than what you'd find around here," a young woman answered. Happosai thought it sounded like one of Akane's friends. He reflected on the voice for about it for a second – Sayuri was the girl's name.

Another girl chimed in: "Takeda's might have something, but I think it is *too* formal though. It's bad taste to outshine the bride."

"That's Akane's friend, Yuka," Happosai noted silently. The sweet natured ones always stuck in his mind – enough so that he often left them alone.

"I think Takeda's is out of my price range," a fourth voice added. Happosai had no problem identifying Akari's voice, having taught the young lady in the dojo. "Are you sure Ginza is in my range?"

"You just have to know how to shop," Yuka reassured her. "We're looking for incomplete outfits that are marked down. Then we mix and match something that goes together and that you like."

"Besides, some of the complete outfits are hideous," Sayuri said. There was general laughter at that comment; it allowed Happosai to zero in on the four girls.

"No, young women," he corrected himself as he watched them walk through the crowds. "Their thick coats don't hide who they are." Happosai suppressed his predatory instincts. He had a problem to solve right now. Besides, Akane's speed and power had increased a lot over the past twelve months. When he first arrived here, she could only tag him occasionally. Now, her "malletting average" was well above .750. "Just like her mother," he chuckled to himself.

As he watched them walk through the crowd, he noticed many young (and not so young) men turning to watch the quartet as they passed. Several men managed to walk into light posts or fall off of curbs, too smitten to watch where they were going. "Too bad Henna's not male. Then I could use one of them to distract her," he thought. He froze then, and an idea bubbled up from his twisted mind. Shaking his head, he studied the women harder.

"I can't use Akane for obvious reasons," he said silently to himself. He looked at Yuka. "No, she'd never last a second. Same for Sayuri – she'd be deleted in an instant." He searched Akari's face for some time. "Yes…yes…she's strong. She's been meeting the world head-on for quite some time. And her power is awakening. It would give Ryoga time to get to her, and Ryoga would drag in Ranma intentionally or unintentionally. A clash between Henna and the Nerima crew might tip our hand early, but it wouldn't stay hidden for long anyway. Henna would focus on Nerima like a laser beam, and Shampoo would escape cleanly. Henna won't come to Nerima; she wants us to come to her and fight on her terms. She'll send minions – I just need to banish her zombies once Ranma and crew defeat them."

Happosai reviewed the plan in his mind and walked through several scenarios as the women disappeared out of sight. "This will work," he decided. "The worst case is that Akari will die, but that will only stiffen spines and make people hunger for vengeance…"

* * *

A/N: Footnotes:

(1) The Anathema Spell was introduced at the end of "The Final Binding". It starts as a black spot of the face of a guilty person and grows slowly over a month or two to cover the entire face, giving the receiver plenty of time to realize they are doomed. Once the face is completely black, the victim physically burns from the inside out, dying painfully and then their soul is sentenced to Hell for their crime.


	2. At Ginza

Chapter 2: At Ginza

Maomolin sat in the coffee shop fuming. "I'm going to kill that miserable little troll for interfering," he thought. "There was no reason for that! Sabotaging Kenta like that last month was uncalled for. If I hadn't stumbled upon that that little town in Nevada last year, he'd be trapped in the Congo right now! And now the bloody Council is backing the gnome up! They forbid Kenta and Akemi to be in Japan until after the Storm. I did one job for them! That's it! They don't own me, and they deign to order me about?"

Maomolin had stormed out of the Council's realm after they summarily dismissed him from the Ruling Hex's chamber. Unfortunately, Maomolin was not powerful enough to defy the Council, and when push came to shove, he really didn't have the nerve to fight them. He wasn't a warrior and his bravery was a very small thing – he relied on it when all other means were lost. Still, that didn't mean he had to like the situation. "I'll figure a way around them yet though," he thought grimly.

He was currently in Sendai; this city had the closest gate to the Council's realm. The city itself was not actually under the domain of the Council though. Other than the couple dozen of Ogre Magi who made their homes here, this was neutral ground, which was the only reason he could stomach staying here and venting his anger. He was planning on moving south toward Nerima. His first stop was to spend Christmas Eve with Chiyoko near Nihonmatsu. Then he was planning on stopping at Akari's farm and spending Christmas with Ryoga and Akari. He'd travel south with the farm couple to Nerima a few of days before the wedding. Chiyoko was planning to arrive in Nerima on the 31st, after spending Christmas with her extended family.

"I don't think I've ever seen you angry before," a young voice commented.

Maomolin turned with surprise and saw a young boy, about 12 years old with bright red hair looking solemnly at him. "Tomo!" the Bakeneko called out in surprise. "What are you doing this far north?" he asked the young disguised Kitsune.

"Looking for you. Lord Jakaro sent me to find you," Tomo said respectfully.

Maomolin sighed. "No offense to Jakaro, but that doesn't sound good. What's wrong now?"

"Actually, Lord Jakaro merely wanted to send you a Christmas gift. He found out about your disagreement with the Council and thought you may need a break," Tomo said. At Maomolin's quizzical look, Tomo continued: "Lord Jakaro owns a rather large villa in Glowsdown, an agricultural domain belonging to the Kitsunes. It's surrounded by mountains on one side and vineyards on the other. His villa is a great place to relax. He wanted to lend you a key to it. It might be a good place to spend the holidays."

Maomolin smiled and said: "I'll accept the key, but I doubt I'll use it. I have plans to be with Ryoga and Akari over Christmas and then I'm going to be in Nerima for Tofu's and Kasumi's wedding."

Tomo shrugged and replied: "You may still want to use it for a small break. Lord Jakaro made a point of saying that you were welcome to bring as many friends as you like – you'd have the place to yourselves. There are also servants that could help you return someone's hospitality."

Something prickled in the back of the Bakeneko's brain. There was something about the way Tomo said "as many friends as you like." Maomolin asked: "Tomo? May I see the key, please?"

There was a twinkle in the little Kitsune's eyes as he handed the key to the golden-eyed man. Maomolin felt the power immediately – the key contained a Gate to Jakaro's villa that could be triggered anywhere in the mortal world. Maomolin could use the key and his own power to do a bit more than just "trigger" it. The Elder Cat smiled as he remembered that the lands of the Kitsunes were outside the Council's jurisdiction – and they definitely were not in Japan. "Please thank Lord Jakaro for this kingly gift. I will treasure this key and take good care of it," Maomolin promised formally. "I will put this key to good use, and return it when I am done."

"Excellent, my Lord," Tomo replied. "You may return the key to myself or any of the Ono's when you see them." Tomo's voice dropped to a conspirator's whisper as he added: "I'm supposed to bow deeply now, but can we skip that part? I'm standing in the middle of a coffee shop after all."

Maomolin whispered back: "You're not standing. You're pulling up a chair and having something to eat before you go running off again." He pointed at the other chair. Tomo nodded and sat down.

"Thanks," Tomo said in a more normal tone. "There's another matter I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's up, lad?"

"I'm doing a bit of spying and there's a lot of things going on that I don't like, but I really don't want to bother Tofu with it right now – he is getting married and even I know how important that is for mortals," Tomo started. "But I was thinking that you should know and maybe you could offer some advice…"

* * *

"O.K., really?" Yuka thought. "This is for a wedding, not a strip show. And Akari has too much hip for that dress – good for bearing children, but lousy for that style." Sayuri was obviously suppressing laughter. Akane was holding her forehead.

"Don't you like it?" Akari asked with fake excitement as she spun for them.

"Don't give me that," Akane said bluntly. "I know you know better."

Akari stopped her spin and mock protested: "But I want to make an impression!"

Sayuri burst out laughing. "Oh, you'll make an impression all right – you and Ryoga will miss the wedding because he's immediately going to see you in that and drag you off to bed."

"Really?" Akari asked wide-eyed. "Maybe I should get it then."

Akane spun Akari and gave her a light shove toward the dressing room. "I'll get it for your bridal shower. It will be marked down by then!" Akari faked a wounded look and walked back into the dressing room.

Sayuri fell back against a wall laughing again. "I know you said she was earthy, but I've never seen anyone so comfortable in their own skin," she burst out.

"You have no idea," Akane reply sourly.

"I can still hear you," Akari sing-songed. Akane expression changed to a small grin.

"Fine," Yuka said, pitching her voice to make sure Akari could hear her. "While this is fun, we need to make a few decisions. She obviously wants a little adventure, so she needs to show a little skin."

"Hmmm…" Akari called back. "If the front was cut any lower, my nipples would be showing…"

"I don't mean based on that dress!" Yuka insisted. "And I don't think a low bodice is the way to go at a wedding."

"Perhaps…" Akari agreed.

"A short skirt in winter is also not the way to go," Akane added.

"So that leaves her with a bare back then," Sayuri said. Yuka nodded her agreement.

"But the backless we tried felt like it was going to peel off," Akari protested.

"We need a halter top neck," Sayuri replied.

Akari came out dressed in her own clothes. "It's an interesting thought, and I like the idea," she said with bright eyes. "But this is still for a wedding."

"But it's a formal wedding," Akane told her. "Followed by a formal dance. You wear a nice shawl at the ceremony that you can take off later." Akari pursed her lips in thought.

"It wouldn't hurt if the dress has some lacing on the back," Yuka added. That would display your back and shoulders and still give you some security."

"O.K. so where do we find this?" Akari asked.

"Follow me, I know just the place," Sayuri said confidently. Akane winked at Akari and Yuka gave a quiet smile.

The four young women started to leave the store. On their way past the front checkout counter, Yuka glanced at the monitors over the counter. "Oh crap," she thought. "Ladies, we have a problem!" she said out loud. As everyone turned to look at her, she pointed at the monitor. Displayed very clearly, was a short little man waiting outside the store.

"Damn," Akane muttered. "He's been out of town for a month now. I was hoping he'd stay gone until after the wedding."

"O.K., so why is he here?" Sayuri asked.

"More particularly, why is he not in the store causing chaos?" Akari pointed out.

Akane thought about that. "He's tailing us. He knows we are here. He also knows I'll go critical if he comes anywhere near me while dress shopping. He's planning an ambush so he can do maximum damage before I get my hands on him."

"Why us?" Yuka asked.

Akane shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. But if it's not for us, he'd already be raiding the dressing rooms, so we have to be the targets." Then she added sourly: "Knowing him, it might just be the challenge." The others nodded glumly.

Yuka watched as Akane's eyes became unfocused for a minute as if Akane was lost heavily in thought. When Akane's eyes focused again, she gave a nasty grin. "I know what we're doing," she said. "I need you to block the crowd for a moment." With that she led them over to a lighted display case.

"What are you up to?" Sayuri asked.

"Getting a little power, and generating a little Chi," Akane said. Akane placed her hand on the case and the light went out. Yuka could see a faint glow about Akane's hand. The other three crowded around the case, blocking everyone else's view.

* * *

Happosai waited outside the store. He figured that the quartet would have to take a break soon for lunch, and that was the best time to get Akari alone. Trying to anoint Akari within Akane's sight was an extremely bad idea. In the meantime, he was cloaked and waiting for them to come outside again. His patience was rewarded as the four young ladies came out of their store laughing and mock-curtseying to each other. He was completely caught off guard when Akane bowed to Akari while facing him and suddenly shouted: "Nova Blast!"

"Oh sh…" was as far as his thoughts got before Akane's Nova Blast slammed him in the face, blinding him and breaking his cloak. He tried to anticipate Akane's grab, but the Blast still had him befuddled and he couldn't sense her. She could see him though, and she was already moving at full speed. He tried to spin away, but she snagged him by the collar and lifted him up.

"What are you doing here, old man?" she asked him.

"I'm just after a little friendly cuddling," he lied using an innocent tone. "I've been gone a while now and…"

"I told you I'm not a battery!" Akane growled at him, cutting him off. "But since you insist…" His eyes cleared just in time to see hers start to glow.

"Now w…" he started. Then he felt her Chi start to flow into his system and he couldn't stop from feeding his addiction. But something else was also mixed in with her Chi, and he couldn't process it. It was jamming his thoughts and locking his muscles. He tried to block it, but his system would have had to reject her Chi, and he couldn't force himself to do it – the habit was too ingrained and he never wanted to stop before. Her power flooded his system until he was as stiff as a board.

"There," Akane said satisfied.

"Interesting," Sayuri commented. "He has a nice healthy glow about him."

"Is he all right?" Yuka asked sounding a little concerned.

"Oh, he's fine," Akane assured her. "It's nothing permanent." An evil grin crossed her face as she said: "He may think twice before trying to 'pull' from me after this though."

"What did you do?" Akari asked curiously.

"In some ways, he's like Miss Hinako, but he can only drain from women and, this time, I overloaded his system. His Chi paths are completely full and blocked," she answered. "I can recharge myself somewhat using electricity. It's not perfect, but the generated Chi does in emergencies. If I use it to recharge, I later have to sleep for a bit to heal. So, I built up a Chi charge from the electricity. But I didn't use it, instead I waited for him to 'pull' it from me. He did, but the Chi I created is not something he's used to; his system can't really use it. It will wear off in a few hours." A concerned look crossed her face. "The thing is, what do we do with him? I really don't want to carry him around with us."

"I know," Sayuri said. She took Happosai from Akane and strolled out onto the plaza. In the center was a Christmas display featuring mannequins of Santa and several elves. Sayuri placed Happosai among the elves – he was the perfect height. Then she stood back and looked thoughtfully at the display. "Hmmm…" she said. "Needs a little something…" She took a coat off an elf and hid the elf in the display. Then she put the coat on Happosai. "A bit of holly too, I think…" After a bit more rearranging, she nodded to herself satisfied. "There, he'll stay warm and out of trouble," she said a last.

"Looks nice," Akane complimented her. Yuka and Akari nodded their heads in agreement. "C'mon," Akane said. "I'm a little hungry after that." She led them away to lunch.

Happosai sat locked where Sayuri placed him. After an hour or two, his thoughts began to flow again. "OK," he thought. "I really didn't expect Akane's mage-craft to be that far along. Tofu must really be cracking the whip. I'm going to need to keep my distance," he added ruefully. "Looks like I need a Plan B."

"Hey Mommy," a little child cried out. "Look at the ugly elf with the blinking nose!"

* * *

That night, Happosai waited for Ryoga and Akari to return from Nerima. The couple rode Akari's giant pig back to the farm. He sat high in a tree watching them get off and then feed their mount. Once they fed the animal, they went inside the farmhouse. Happosai heard several of the farm hands greet them in the central common room. There was comfortable talk for a while, and then people began to head to bed. Even though it was winter, there was plenty of work in the morning. This was a farm and that meant an early start to make the most of the available light.

Happosai waited another hour or so for people to settle. He was pretty sure the young couple would engage in one of their favorite pastimes before sleeping and he didn't want to interrupt. The night was cold, but Happosai had stopped noticing the weather long ago. After a suitable amount of time, Happosai pulled in his aura, and bounced out of the tree. He had a small jar of sacred oil for the consecration tucked in an outer pocket. The incantation would take less than a minute and once he whispered it, the task would be done.

As he neared the door, he suddenly felt dizzy as if the earth was shaking. His ears filled with a rushing sound, and his eyes momentarily dimmed. When they cleared, he realized he was no longer in the front yard of the farm house. Nor was he upright. In fact, he was lying in a small crater. It was then that the pain hit him. "What the hell was that?!" he moaned out loud. He touched the side of his head and felt a massive lump forming. Staggering upright, he looked around. "I'm about halfway back to town. Something hit me!" He shook his head. "But I felt no one about! I scanned the area!"

Happosai sat on the ground and concentrated on healing himself. Once he felt stable again, he started back to the farmhouse. "O.K. I was careless somehow. Obviously, someone is moving about. I need to find them, and take them out this time. They might be Shielding, but they cannot attack me unless they drop the shield first. I just have to be ready."

Carefully, he entered the farmhouse yard. He continuously swept his mind through the area looking for his enemy, but he couldn't find anyone awake. "Must be Shielding – it's unlikely they went to bed after attacking me. They will be up all night in case I come back." Still, he could find no one. "All right, I spring the trap. This time, I'm ready…"

* * *

Happosai came to and found himself on top of the local town's railway station. Carefully, he unfolded his body. He felt like someone had pounded him flat, and turned him into a paper airplane (A/N: Close enough). He managed to straighten his limbs, but missed his step as he got up and rolled off the roof. He bounced once, and ended up in a garbage can. The can exploded with a small mushroom cloud as Happosai roared: "NO ONE GETS THE DROP ON ME TWICE!"

He ran back to the farm in a rush, covering the four kilometers with blinding speed. He screeched to a stop in front of the picket fence gate and jumped up on the gate post. He was about to rush the front door when he stopped himself. "Wait a minute," he scolded. "If I go charging in there, everyone is going to wake up." He steadied his breathing and then studied the house. "What if everyone is asleep? What if this is actually a Warding spell? It's possible Hideo or Tofu may have taught Ryoga something…" He focus his Other Sight and did find some Wards close to the front door. "Earth magic... Looks like Ryoga does know some basic Warding spells. I must have broken the outer ones. O.K…now that I know they're there, I can work around them.

He started forward…

* * *

Happosai looked up at the hole in the ice above him. He muttered an oath and swam up to it. His teeth chattered as he pulled himself out of the lake. He also had no idea where he was. "O.K. maybe I need to think this out a little more…" the old man said to himself. His spine felt like it had been shoved forward into his sternum and his backside felt inverted. "No sound, no aura, no challenge, no warning whatsoever. Got to be supernatural. Akari's family has protection from spirits. I'm going to have to get her away from that house to make this work. I'll have to see what opportunity arises. Maybe I can catch her at the wedding…"

* * *

Back at the farm, Katsunishiki surveyed his domain under the night sky. He didn't like the gnome and he certainly didn't trust him. The sumo pig knew the gnome was trouble with a capital "T", even if the animal didn't know how to spell: he did not want Happosai anywhere near his Mistress ever. He'd flatten the human again and again if that's what it took to keep him away.

Katsunishiki knew that his Mistress and her Friends were extraordinary for humans, but only his Mistress and her Mate could touch his mind and locate him with any surety. A handful – including Cat Brother – could tell if he was about, but couldn't quite pinpoint him which meant the pig could still sneak up on most of them if they were unawares (the girl with the short dark hair was fun to tease as she screamed loudly when surprised and Katsunishiki enjoyed the petting she always gave him when he snuck up on her). The rest of the humans could not detect him with their minds, including the gnome. The pig had caught him three times now. Hopefully, the evil little thing would get the hint and stay away.

Silently, he settled under his tree again and watched the farm yard. "I'm waiting, little gnome," he thought. "She's mine. Her Mate is mine. Her Helpers are mine. Even her Friends are mine. And when her Young eventually come, they will be mine too. I will always be watching out for her and them. I will protect them. I will stop you."


	3. Christmas Morning

Chapter 3: Christmas Morning (Wednesday: December 25, 2002)

The sunlight suddenly streamed through the bedroom window full upon the sole occupant of the king-sized bed. Ryoga moaned as the light hit him. "Rise and shine," Akari sang.

"The sun's already doing that - I don't need to," Ryoga muttered at her. Akari bent over the bed and waved a cup of coffee under his nose. "O.K., I'll admit that smells good," he said reluctantly.

"You're usually a bit better than this," Akari teased him.

Ryoga stretched and sat up. "Yeah - that's when my wife-to-be doesn't keep me out at all hours of the night dancing," he grumbled at her.

"Oh, poor baby," Akari laughed as she sat down on the bed. She was dressed in a white flannel nightgown and wrapped in a warm robe (farmhouses are not known for efficient heating systems). "Such a shame that your fiancée wants to spend time with you."

Ryoga gave a small laugh and grabbed his robe off the post on his side of the headboard. He laid it across his lap. Then he took the cup of coffee from Akari and looked out the window. "How did I sleep so late?" he asked genuinely puzzled - this was a farm after all.

Akari smiled at him. "Seiji took care of all the chores this morning, before he left to travel south." Seiji was one of the senior farmhands. He had relatives near Kyoto and was traveling to spend New Year's with them. "He said he could sleep on the train and to wish you a Merry Christmas."

Ryoga nodded. "I'll have to thank him when he gets back. Are Ryo's kids up?" Ryo was another farmhand who lived at the farm with his wife and two small kids - too young for school yet.

"Yes, but they're being very quiet. They also keep checking the windows and the chimney," Akari laughed. The children had been warned that if they weren't good, Santa wouldn't stop by to see them.

Ryoga looked at the clock. "He said that he'd be by before midday," Ryoga thought out loud.

"Tons of time. Don't worry. It takes him a little time to travel, and he wanted to be with Chiyoko last night," she reassured him. Ryoga just nodded and rose from the bed. He put on his robe and then took Akari's hand. Together they left the room and walked downstairs to the main room where breakfast was still set up. A handful of people were sitting at the table drinking coffee and two children were staring out the windows of the large double doors that faced the backyard.

The children, one girl and one boy about five and four years old, turned from the window and rushed over to Ryoga just as his feet touched the ground floor. "Is Santa Claus coming?" the elder girl asked breathlessly.

"Last I knew," Ryoga told her with a smile. "We just have to wait."

"Now, leave Mr. Hibiki alone, Junko," her mother scolded her gently. Then the mother winked at Ryoga. "At least until he has some more coffee." Ryoga and Akari both laughed as they walked over to the table. The children's mother, Kei, was cook this morning and had made 'flapjacks' in a nod to Western traditions since today was Christmas, but had deviated a little from American tradition by rolling and stuffing the pancakes with egg, sausages, and potatoes. The young couple wished everyone a 'Merry Christmas' and sat down to enjoy the food.

Just as Ryoga finished, he felt a familiar presence. _"Is now a good time?"_ Maomolin's thought echoed in his mind.

 _"Perfect,"_ Ryoga thought back.

 _"Then…_ " the thought started and faded, only to be replaced by a bright white light streaming through the outside double doors, and a mighty "HO, HO, HO!" shaking the house. The outside doors sprang open and a large man walked through. He was dressed head-to-toe in a red suit trimmed with white fur including the cap on his head. Over his shoulder, he carried a large sack. His white beard set off his red cheeks merrily. Once he cleared the doors, they shut again leaving the cold morning air outside.

"Amazing," Ryoga thought as he looked at his foster father in disguise. "He managed to avoid that creepy look the Santa dolls in the store usually have. He certainly puts the Kentucky Fried Chicken Santa to shame."

Santa called out is a deep cheery voice: "Merry Christmas everyone! I understand there are two children expecting me!" The little boy and girl stood there with their mouths opened. The oversized elf grinned at them and looked at their mother. "Have they been good children?" he asked her.

Kei looked at Maomolin with a small smile, "Tolerably decent," she said teasingly.

"Mommy!" Junko cried in alarm.

"That will do," Santa laughed. "Good, then I don't need this." He reached into his sack and pulled out a large handful of coal. With a light toss, he threw it into the main fireplace where it immediately caught. The room filled with the scent of peppermint. He didn't approached the shocked children. Instead, he pulled over a chair and sat down facing them. Then, he extended his hands out and down, inviting the children to come to him.

Little Junko looked at her mother, who only nodded back with the same small smile. That was enough. "SANTA!" she screamed as she ran over to Santa Claus, her brother following her half a step behind. Kei walked over as her children embraced the famous elf.

"Amazing," their father murmured to Ryoga. "That really is Mao Molin? How did he change his eyes to blue?" The children were pulling gently at Santa Claus's beard and touching his cheeks.

"He's wearing blue contacts," Ryoga answered quietly. That part was true: the Bakeneko could take almost any form, but he could never hide his golden eyes. "A little stage magic, a red suit, the gifts you bought for the two, a little coal, and we have Santa Claus," Ryoga completed using only a couple of little white lies.

Maomolin entertained the children's questions completely, having studied the tales of the Western Santa Claus. Meanwhile the children continued to poke and prod at his clothes and test his hands, reassuring themselves as much as possible that he was here. Finally, Santa said: "Now, I have a few gifts for you, and then I must be off." With that, he reached into his bag and handed the gifts their parents had set aside to the kids. After that, he held up two remote control cars not from the parents. He looked at the mother and father for approval. The parents were slightly reluctant (not wanting to impose upon Ryoga's foster father further), but the soulful look Santa threw them made them relent, so the children each received an extra gift. Santa then collected hugs from the two, shook all the adults' hands while wishing them 'Merry Christmas', and approached the double doors. The doors opened by themselves and Santa vanished in another burst of light.

"Oh wow," Junko uttered stunned. She looked at her mother. "Was that really Santa Claus?" The other adults chuckled.

"It was!" her brother insisted. "Who else?"

"Sometimes, things are exactly as they seem," her mother answered wisely.

"Whoa," Junko said with a little awe.

"Hey, I want to try my car!" the boy said breaking the mood. He ran over to his father shouting: "Daddy, open this!"

Ryoga walked away from the chatter that started up. He threw out the thought: _"Where are you?"_

Maomolin's thought came back. _"I'm in the barn. I'll be back at two o'clock. Make your excuses - the three of us need to leave for dinner shortly after that. Anyone going with us, should be ready to go too."_

 _"What? Why? Where are you going?"_ Ryoga thought confused.

 _"After all this preparation, you don't think I'm just going to visit two children? I'm due at the hospital at noon! See you after that!"_ With that, the Cat's thought was gone.

Ryoga stared out a front window caught in surprise until Akari tugged at the sleeve of his robe. "Where's Maomolin?" she asked.

"Apparently, he's going to the Children's Ward at the hospital," he answered, still stunned.

Akari laughed. "Why that's lovely! What a wonderful idea! If you have the power, you might as well use it!" she nearly cried.

"I guess. I'm just surprised, that's all," Ryoga shrugged. "Maomolin has changed a lot since I first met him."

She handed him another cup of coffee. "You mean the version you first met. This Maomolin has been through a lot more. Of course he's different - this is your foster father."

Ryoga thought about that and smiled a little. Smiling came easier to him these days, but sometimes it was still a novel feeling. "I guess so," Ryoga admitted. "He's certainly earned the title." Then the rest of Maomolin's message came back to him. "Oh, we need to tell anyone going with us for dinner to be ready to go by two o'clock. I think Maomolin's working on a surprise for us."

"I'll make sure Uncle Tad and Aunt Suzu are ready to go," Akari reassured him.

* * *

Just after 2PM, a large stretch limousine pulled up to the farm and played a merry song. As Ryoga and Akari opened the front door, Maomolin climbed out the car's rear door facing the house. He was back in his "normal" form - sort of a cross between Ryoga and Ranma with ten years added for good measure. "Merry Christmas! Our reservations are for 3PM, and it's a little bit of a drive." He looked at Akari and added cheerily: "Gather your aunt and uncle! We need to go!"

Akari answered back with a laugh: "All right!" She went back inside and called to her two relatives: "Aunt Suzu! Uncle Tadashi! Papa Maomolin is here! We need to go."

The couple nodded at her from across the main room and stood up. Aunt Suzu was a stout, serious-looking, woman in her mid-thirties, the sister of Akari's mother. She always seemed perpetually worried - especially about her niece and her obsession with pigs and this farm. Her husband, Tadashi, was a thin man with a pencil thin moustache, about five years older than his wife. He had an easy going attitude, taking his niece-by-marriage's circumstances more in stride than his wife. After all, Akari's farm seemed to be supporting itself and the girl never wanted anything from them other than to feed them a nice meal every now and then. A few times, his wife had pushed him to look at this or that on behalf of her niece, but everything was always on a firm footing.

Akari walked before them back to the front door and grabbed coats for them. As they accepted them, Suzu asked: "Do you know how far away this place is?"

"My guess is about an hour," Akari answered.

"Oh dear. Are you sure there's room for us? That's a long time to be cramped in a car," she fretted.

Tadashi looked out the door window and gave a laugh. "Somehow, I don't think that's a problem," he said as he zipped up his coat and led the way out. Ryoga was already outside by the limousine.

Suzu walked out and stopped as she saw the car. "Oh dear. That's too much to spend," she muttered.

Akari sighed. "Papa Maomolin is taking care of the bills. This is his treat. Please don't insult him," she said with some exasperation.

"But, where does he get his money from? He just shows up out of the blue and…" Suzu started only to have Akari fix her with a stare.

"**Please** do not insult him," Akari stated again firmly.

"Oh dear. Yes, dear," Suzu answered with a sigh of her own.

Out at the car, Uncle Tadashi greeted Maomolin and peeked inside the limo. He seemed to study the interior for a few moments and then stood up. He raised an eyebrow at Ryoga and Maomolin and smirked. "Looks like an interesting evening," was all he said.

Ryoga had a pained look on his face. "Maomolin is a big believer in family," he answered with a sigh.

Akari and Suzu reached the car to hear someone shout out in a querulous voice: "Have I come all this way to be ignored?"

Akari's eyes widen: "Grandfather!" she shouted and then dove into the limo.

"That's my girl," the voice said satisfied. "You've grown, child. I would swear you aged ten years."

Outside the car, Ryoga and Tadashi rolled their eyes. "Oh dear," Suzu muttered again.

"Grandfather, I'm nineteen years old!" Akari corrected firmly.

"Really?" the old man quizzed. "Why aren't you married yet?"

Now Suzu rolled her eyes and the worried look vanished to be replaced by one of exasperation. "Because she only nineteen, old man!" she yelled at the car.

"Suzu? Is that you? Come let me look at you!" Grandfather ordered.

"He does like you," Tadashi reminded his wife. She just glared at him and climbed in.

"Not as beautiful as your sister. My son chose well between you. Still, you probably turn all the men's heads," the old voice commented.

"I was fourteen when they married, old man!" Suzu said acidly.

Ryoga looked at Maomolin steadily. "Humor him," Maomolin pleaded. "He doesn't have many New Year's left, and he adores Akari." Ryoga just sighed and entered the limousine.

"Promises, promises…" Tadashi chuckled at Maomolin and then followed Ryoga.

Maomolin offered a prayer to any deities or sprites that happened to be listening and went in himself. As he entered, he saw the shriveled old man sitting on the back bench staring at Ryoga. "Who are you?" Grandfather demanded. Maomolin closed the door and the car started on its way.

"This is my fiancé, Ryoga Hibiki," Akari said in a firm voice. She was sitting next to her Grandfather and Suzu was on the other side of him. The old man had his arms around both of them trying to hold them close. Suzu's eyes were rolled toward the ceiling, but her overall posture indicated that she wasn't quite as annoyed with the old gentleman as her eyes suggested.

Grandfather watched Ryoga take a seat and then leaned over and struck Ryoga with a cane. The cane had a hard metal sphere for a handle which bounced off of Ryoga's forehead with a loud "Thud!" Ryoga didn't blink, but he did sigh again.

Grandfather studied Ryoga's reaction. "Can he beat Katsunishiki?" Grandfather demanded.

"Yes, he can," Suzu answered for Akari, her voice just as firm. "And before you try and crush his hand in yours, he's very strong there too."

"Hmmm…well I suppose I'll take your word, Suzu - you can't lie well at all," the old man said. "By the way, how's your husband doing? He's a banker, isn't he? Nice enough fellow. You've been married a year now haven't you?"

"Actually," Tadashi cut in before his wife could. "We've been married eleven years now."

"Tadao? Is that you? I thought you were a little more robust. Have you been ill?" Grandfather asked.

"Let's just say I have," Tadashi answered. "I'm better now."

"Well, you need to put on a little weight!" Grandfather said definitely. He pointed at Suzu: "This one can cook - her sister taught her well." He turned to Suzu. "Fatten him up!" he ordered.

"Yes, Grandfather," Suzu replied through clenched teeth.

"Don't think you can get my farm away from me," Grandfather told Tadashi in a know-it-all tone. "You may be clever, but I found a really good lawyer who helped me place it in a trust for Akari. It's all hers when she turns eighteen."

"I'm sure he's the best," Tadashi agreed pleasantly. He turned to Maomolin sitting next to him and said under his breath: "Actually, I set it up so it passes to her when she turns twenty."

Grandfather smacked an unflinching Ryoga in the head again. "Listen up, boy!" the old man warned. "Just because you can pass the first test, don't think you're coming into any money! The farm's protected from any sweet talking men! I know how easily women get turned around!"

"Yes sir," Ryoga acknowledged somewhat patiently - despite three more whacks with the cane. The old man went on to tell Ryoga that he'd have to buy his way into the farm and it would be at current value - no discounts. Akari held her hands to her face caught somewhere between embarrassment and laughter. Every time Ryoga and her Grandfather met, this speech happened - including the cane whacks. She knew trying to get her Grandfather to remember previous meetings probably wouldn't work. Even if it did, the old man would sit sullenly for the rest of the day insisting he wasn't losing his faculties. It was just easier to go through the twenty minutes of re-introductions and then things would be great for the rest of the visit.

Ryoga and Uncle Tadashi understood the situation. So, did Aunt Suzu, but Grandfather still teased her like she was fourteen and it sometimes got on her nerves. She had confessed to Akari that she was fond of her sort-of-in-law, but he knew all her buttons to push. "On the other hand," she once said. "If I don't react, he'd only get defensive."

* * *

The car trip passed peacefully enough. Grandfather Unryü settled down and adjusted to the apparent ages of his companions. He asked Akari about the day-to-day running of the farm and how the pigs were getting along. He loved hearing about Katsunishiki's latest Sumo victories, but was surprised to hear that the champion had already sired several litters of pigs. "Well, he always was advanced for his age," the old man commented. He also pressed Suzu about her job as a teacher. "I always thought that suited you," he commented. "You were always a smart person and could explain anything. I hope you never become a principal - a waste of your talent."

"What about a guidance counselor?" she asked him. There might have been a twinkle in her eyes.

The old man seemed lost in thought. "I suppose you could do well there," he answered grudgingly. Tadashi suppressed a chuckle at the small triumphant smile the guidance counselor threw at him.

The car turned down a heavily wooded lane paved with gravel. "Odd driveway for a restaurant," Tadashi commented.

"It's not a restaurant," Maomolin explained. "It's actually a country home of a friend of mine. He's away for the holidays and offered it to me. His staff is still here until New Year's Eve, so I stocked the larder and took over their wages for a few days. I have a few friends stopping by too that I'd like you all to meet."

"Now this sounds interesting," Tadashi noted with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "Maybe I'll finally get some dirt on Ryoga's mysterious foster father."

Maomolin coughed uncomfortably and took a small object out of his pocket. "Hold on, I have to key the entry code into the garage." He opened the door and climbed out of the car. As he closed it again, the area outside of the car was suddenly lit up as exterior floodlights turned on. The sound of a garage door opener was heard. After about a minute of this, the limousine started forward again and pulled into a very large garage. The car seemed to travel about 50 meters into the building and then stopped.

A tall Japanese man wearing a chauffeur's uniform opened the door of the car for them. This was the first time they had seen him. Maomolin was standing just to his side. "This is Aki," Maomolin introduced the man. "He'll fetch Mr. Unryu's wheelchair."

"I told you I don't need it, Doctor!" Grandfather Unryu insisted crossly.

Maomolin made a discrete 'shushing' gesture at Tadashi. "And I told you that this visit was only happening if you used the chair. We can just go back to your room if you like. Or you can stay in the car. This house is large enough that you'll just get lost," the disguised cat said with surprising firmness. Ryoga looked impressed. "You gave me your word you'd use the chair, Mr. Unryu. Do you really want to disappoint your granddaughter like this?"

Grandfather was about to rebuke the 'doctor' when Akari cut in: "Grandfather, did you give your word?" Grandfather looked troubled at Akari. Again Akari pressed: "Did you give your word?"

The old man sighed. "I did," he admitted grudgingly. "It was the only way Dr. Molin would sign me out."

Akari climbed out of the car and looked firmly at Aki. "The chair, please," she ordered. Her voice was very steady as she spoke. Aki nodded and moved to the back of the car. Within sixty seconds, the wheelchair was waiting next to the car. Akari pointed at the chair and again said firmly: "The chair, Grandfather." There was no room for discussion in her tone. Grandfather sighed again and did as his granddaughter ordered. The rest climbed out of the car, not quite suppressing their smirks at how Akari had the old man wrapped around her fingers.

Aki took possession of Grandfather and spoke for the first time in a clear smooth voice: "Follow me, please." He then led them through a doorway and down a short hallway to an elevator. The door opened smoothly when he pushed the button and they followed him in. A short time later, the elevator opened to reveal what was obviously the main level of the house.

Tadashi whistled. "Who's your friend?" he asked Maomolin. "The Emperor?"

They stood on a raised platform. Before them were a few steps that led down into a large room. Despite being an interior room, it was brightly lit and featured plants set everywhere in a variety of pots and planters. There were detailed Nuido wall murals depicting various rich forest scenes. They were hanging over hardwood paneling with bamboo accents for trim. Exquisite gold and marble statues showing detailed figures of various animals were everywhere. Near the far wall was a low traditional dining table, already set for a meal. Two fireplaces burned merrily - one near either end of the table.

"Looks about right," Grandfather said approvingly.

"What's your standard of comparison, old man?" Suzu asked him. "Since when have you eaten with heads of state?" Grandfather ignored her.

"Dinner will be in about one hour," Aki informed them as he started forward. As he carefully maneuvered the wheel chair down the steps, he added. "The chef's apprentices will retrieve the groceries from the car's trunk. In the meantime, please sit and enjoy the wine and appetizers. The seafood was brought in fresh this morning."

"Please sit," echoed Maomolin. "Ryoga and I must go greet our other guests. We will join you shortly." The golden-eyed man gestured at Ryoga to follow him back into the elevator. Once Ryoga joined him, Maomolin closed the elevator doors.

"Where are we?" Ryoga asked.

"At a country retreat," Maomolin evaded.

"Whose?" Ryoga pressed steadily.

"Lord Jakaro's," Maomolin admitted.

"We're in the Spirit Realm?" the Lost Boy demanded incredulously.

"No, it's a real world. We can't get trapped here by eating the food or anything like that," Maomolin reassured him. He held up a fancy golden key. "It's very similar to the world where I hid your father from the Oni. And we can leave at any time with this," he finished.

"A key? How does it work?" Ryoga asked, now a little more relaxed.

The elevator opened up to the garage's hallway again. "Come along and I'll show you," Maomolin told him.

They walked back past the limousine toward the door the car had entered by. Ryoga stopped and studied it from a distance for a minute. Maomolin stopped with him. Ryoga stated: "That's not a door. That's a Gate."

"You're definitely learning," the cat said approvingly. "There are many Gates in Jakaro's house. This key controls this one. Watch." Maomolin clutched the key and gestured at the Gate. The edges of the Gate glowed and the Gate faded from view. Ryoga could see the gravel road they had driven down. "I temporarily merged the Gate with the garage door of an empty house," Maomolin told him. "The house is a large home, but there's no one here right now until after New Year's." The golden-eyed man made another gesture, and the view on the other side of the Gate began moving. As the image changed, it also began to shrink, revealing a large gold wall. "I don't want to draw attention to it," Maomolin explained. "But, I need to maintain contact with our world."

"What happens if it hits someone?" Ryoga asked.

"The Gate is designed to disappear and not hurt anyone, but it may stop working for a little bit. We could end up getting stuck here for a few days," Maomolin said. The image continued to shrink until it was about a meter in diameter. Maomolin walked forward to it and motioned for Ryoga to follow him. The view through the Gate began to leave the ground and quickly rose above the trees. Both of them stopped before the Gate and watched through it at the countryside quickly flying by. The view changed faster as the Gate's other side picked up speed."

"Where are you sending it?" Ryoga asked.

"I need it to connect outside of Japan," Maomolin told him. "I'm being watched by someone I rather ditch for a bit."

"The Council," Ryoga guessed shrewdly.

His foster father looked at him with mock annoyance. "You were easier to deal with when you were a little less well informed," Maomolin remarked off-handedly. "I need to have a few words with Jouda and Ono."

"Some of this is your fault," Ryoga reminded him with a deliberately deadpan expression. Maomolin just rolled his eyes.

The image now showed the ocean far below. Vast distances were passing by in seconds. As Ryoga watched, land appeared in the distance and quickly zoomed into view.

"Where's that?" Ryoga asked. A large town flew appeared and was gone again in the time it took to ask the question.

"Australia," Maomolin answered succinctly. "We need to find a particular mountain in Queensland."

"Been there," Ryoga replied. "Australia's a big place. How are you going to find one particular mountain? They have a lot of them."

"Watch." Maomolin laughed. "This one's about ten miles from the coast and it's the second highest mountain in Queensland. It's located in the northeast corner of Queensland and it's only about five kilometers from the coast. It's called Mount Bellenden Ker and it's south from Cairns, which was the city you just saw fly by."

As Ryoga observed, the speed of the view slowed. The Gate was following a rugged coast line until an inlet appeared. Then it shot up along a river. "Russell River," Maomolin noted. The Gate veered away from the river and passed over farmland heading straight for a set of low mountains. "There," the cat said with some satisfaction.

The Gate targeted the tallest mountain and quickly approached. Within seconds, it was below the trees again and winding its way up a slope. Then it approached a large rock wall. As Ryoga watched, the view rotated and shifted again. The Gate began to expand until it was the size of a doorway. Maomolin called out: "We're over here by the rock face!"

A woman's voice shouted back: "I know that, you fool cat. You're lucky all the locals are having Christmas dinner with the way that silly disk was glowing among the trees. Hold on!"

Ryoga's mouth dropped open as a very fit middle-aged Japanese woman climbed up the hill into view. She had long black hair tied into a pony tail that flowed forward over her left shoulder. She was of medium height and wore faded jeans with hiking boots. On her back was an enormous pack, much like Ryoga use to carry in his travels. A plain work shirt was worn under a padded hiking vest and there was a GPS unit hanging around her neck - much like the unit Ryoga had in his pocket. Her face was tanned from hiking, and had a very no-nonsense look about it, but her eyes were very merry. She paused at the doorway briefly, studying it momentarily. Then she took a deep breath, and strode through it.

Once through the doorway, the sight of the garage seemed to make her pause again, but she recovered quickly and threw a mocking nod at Maomolin. With a grin she said: "Well met, Cat. Good to see you again, but first things first." She dropped her pack and stepped over to Ryoga. Wordlessly, she clasped the young man in a fierce embrace.

"Mom," Ryoga croaked out in a voice choked with emotion.

* * *

Happosai watched the mother-son reunion from his hiding place in Lord Jakaro's garage. "I am so screwed," he thought.


	4. Christmas Day

Chapter 4: Christmas Day

Somewhere in northern Norway:

Olaf took one last look around his bedroom before he left. He had a private jet waiting at the local airport to fly him across the North Sea to Bristol. There, the Moonrakers would be waiting to take him to the first Gate and he could use the network to make his way to the Gate in Sendai and get to Tokyo in short order. "Even with the gold it costs me, it beats flying across all of Europe and Asia," he reflected. "Once I get to England, it will take me six hours to get to Sendai. I can be in Tokyo by tomorrow morning, even allowing for the time difference."

He started toward the door when he felt a pulse on his chest. "What?" he said aloud in confusion. He tried to start toward the door again, when he felt the second pulse. It was like someone tapping his chest. His expression turned serious as he reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a small phial containing a clear liquid that glowed brightly. The beautiful phial looked like it was made of delicate crystal, but Olaf's people had created it and, as such, it would never shatter. Olaf turned toward a small chest tucked in a corner of the room and held the phial up toward the chest. The light from the ornate glass grew even brighter and began pulsing. In response, light escaped from the closed lid of the chest.

"Looks like I have to attend to this first," Olaf said aloud. "Some debts have to be paid on demand."

* * *

Elsewhere:

Cloaked from view, Happosai watched as Maomolin directed the Gate out over the sea again. It seemed to be traveling eastward at a good clip. The sky began to darken and stars appeared through the Gate. Meanwhile, Happosai thought furiously, but he didn't see any way out of this. "He's going after Kenta next. If I try and stop him, he'll turn the Gate on me - he's its Master right now. Gods know where I'll end up. Even if he doesn't, Ryoga and Akemi will recognize me. She knows who I am. If I take her out, Ryoga will know it was me - I'll lose all influence over Ryoga, and Ranma and Akane as well. Taking Ryoga out will leave me open to an attack from Maomolin and he's already sore at me. It's all going to come out in the wash now. If the Trio doesn't figure it out, Ono will. Ah hell!"

* * *

The stars continued to rotate out of view until a large city appeared on the horizon. "Los Angeles and its suburbs," Maomolin said. The Gate slid quickly over the city and out into the darker countryside.

"Where are you sending it now?" Akemi, Ryoga's mother, asked as she kept an arm around her son.

"Las Vegas," Maomolin answered.

"Kenta's in Las Vegas?" she asked with a hard edge to her voice.

Maomolin recognized the tone and quickly replied: "No, no - that's my next marker. He's actually near the town of Rachel, Nevada. You can't see it, but I'm following Highway 15 to Las Vegas. Then I need to take 15 to 93 north until I hit 375 and take that to Rachel. It's actually a good distance from Las Vegas." That seemed to mollify Akemi.

Ryoga watched Las Vegas fly into view. As the Gate hooked left, he asked: "Why the roundabout way? Why not send the Gate straight there?"

"There're problems going straight there," Maomolin answered. That section of the US has some unusual uses."

"Such as?" Ryoga prompted.

"Nuclear testing for one. Even though the last tests happened underground over a decade ago, there are a lot of lingering effects - both natural and supernatural. There are also places various Elementals have taken over, and it's best the Gate doesn't disturb them. Then there's Area 51 - the less said, the better," Maomolin summed up.

"That's a real place?" Ryoga asked. "I wanted to go there a few times. It never happened though, even with all the wandering."

His mother tapped him on the head. "No need to find trouble - Hibiki's usually end up with enough of it as it is."

Her son shrugged. "Still would have liked to see a UFO."

Maomolin chuckled. "Well, you might be in luck then," he said as Las Vegas slid out of sight. "Highway 375 is known as the 'Extraterrestrial Highway'."

"Never mind that the Gate probably looks like a UFO," Akemi commented.

Maomolin shook his head and replied: "It's not that visible. Anyway, the gas station is coming up." He pointed at a light in the distance - the Gate was now traveling along an empty highway. As it got closer, they could see that gas station consisted of a set of three pumps and a small building with a porch. There was a man sitting on the porch looking in their general direction. Maomolin made a gesture and the area outside around the Gate became lit. The man got up then and followed the Gate around to the back of the station. When the Gate became stationary, the man left their view and then returned with a large backpack. He approached the Gate confidently and walked through.

Kenta Hibiki was a powerfully built man of medium height, much like his son. His hair was darker than Ryoga's, and his countenance was more somber, but it was easy to see they were related. His face was deeply creased, a testament to the trials he had suffered courtesy of the Stone Oni, but his carriage was unbowed. He did not smile as he looked at his wife and son, but his eyes burned greedily. Without a word, he dropped his backpack and gathered his family into his embrace. Maomolin held rock-still and said nothing.

A timeless minute later, Kenta relaxed his grip and the three stood there looking into each other's eyes. Kenta raised a hand to brush a stray hair from his wife's face and kept a hand grasping his son's elbow. Ryoga returned the gesture and had his other arm around his mom's back. Akemi kept an arm around her son and the other around her husband. Still none of the three said anything, and, still, Maomolin said nothing.

Finally, Kenta sighed and straightened again. He turned his head to look at Maomolin and said in a clear voice: "Thank you." The voice sounded dispassionate, almost as if Kenta was thanking Maomolin for handing him a dinner menu, but there were small tears hiding in Kenta's eyes and the Bakeneko understood. The shape-shifted Cat just nodded back.

"Why does the Council want to keep me out of Japan?" Kenta asked. Ryoga looked startled at that. Akemi looked grim.

"I don't know," Maomolin admitted. "They can't fear you - you're not a threat to them on any level."

"I might be if I get my hands on them," Kenta said grimly.

Mamolin shook his head. "I'm afraid there's not really a lot you could do to them. They're not gods, but they are very powerful - 'demigods' might be an appropriate term, at least for the Ruling Hex. My best guess is either you or Akemi hold information they want buried, at least until after the Storm. They don't want you dead, just out-of-the-way."

"Or maybe they want a hold on our Oni-Killer here?" Akemi said as she tapped Ryoga on the shoulder. Her son blushed at the title.

"I doubt it," Maomolin stated. "There are easier ways. But maybe it might be more along the lines of trying to keep the playing board clear." Then Maomolin straightened up and said: "Any way you look at it, it doesn't matter. We are in Glowsdown, beyond the reach of the Council. It's Christmas Day. Tomorrow, we'll order things best we can, but today we celebrate family. Come, you have a daughter-in-law to meet."

Ryoga's eyes widened. "Oh hell, we've been gone nearly forty minutes!"

"It's all right lad," Maomolin assured him. "But we have to go." The Cat motioned for them to follow him and led the way back to the elevator. Akemi and Kenta held hands as they walked. On the elevator ride back up, Maomolin said to Ryoga: "You're to make the introductions, lad." Ryoga nodded quietly.

* * *

Akari sat at the table watching two of the hostess perform a fan dance. Aki had not given the ladies names, or the names of the other performers that kept her family mesmerized. At least they were using 'mundane' - or at least 'non-magical' means to do it. She knew they were not in the World proper. Akari had worked with the Earth long enough to know when it was missing or at least Elsewhere. But this world was also a green growing world, and she felt comfortable enough here anyway. "It's not a Spirit World," she thought. "But I'd bet the next harvest that these are Kitsunes. They 'feel' a little like Tofu." She was getting use to her Power, and the bit of Sight that came with it. She could tell when something was natural, supernatural, or out-and-out Otherworldly. "I don't have it as bad as Mousse at least. I can tell it sometimes drives him to distraction."

Still, Ryoga and Maomolin had been gone a while, and she was starting to worry. Ryoga had his GPS with him, but she doubted the gizmo worked here. Before she could get too worked up though, the elevator dinged, and Maomolin walked out. Right behind him was Ryoga, followed by two people she didn't know. The man looked somewhat like Maomolin - they could be brothers. "But that's silly!" she thought. "Maomolin's shape is completely arbitrary. He chose it as a combination of Ranma and Ryog…" Her thoughts froze as she realized who the man was - and who the woman was next to him.

Akari could only watched stunned as Ryoga moved in front of Maomolin and waited for the fan dance to finish. Once the dancers had bowed and received their applause, Ryoga called everyone's attention. "Hello everyone," he started. The dancers withdrew from the room. "Sorry for the delay," the Lost Boy continued. "But there were some things we had to attend to. And, I need to make some introductions." Grandfather Unryu, Suzu, and Tadashi had turned to look at him while noting the newcomers. "Everyone, this is my father and mother, Kenta and Akemi Hibiki." Ryoga paused and looked at his parents. "Mom and Dad," he started. "This is Grandfather Maso Unryu, his in-law Suzu Ito, her husband Tadashi Ito," he said while indicating each person in turn. Then his hand stretched out to Akari. She could see he was shaking a little as the significance of what he was saying struck him. His voice was firm though as he finished: "And this is Maso Unryu's granddaughter; my fiancée Akari Unryu."

"Now, wait…oof!" Grandfather started only to be cut off by an elbow from Suzu.

Akari heard Suzu hiss quietly at him: "Shut up, old man! Now! Or I'll never bake an apple pie for you again!" Grandfather looked annoyed, but held his peace. Suzu looked at Akari and made a sort of nodding gesture. Akari took the hint and rose to take Ryoga's hand. He led her over to his parents and she bowed to the stern-looking couple.

Kenta Hibiki studied her. No smile softened his lined features. Akari doubted he even knew how after all the man had been through. Something in his eyes glittered though, and he returned a proper bow gracefully. Akari somehow felt she had passed a test. Ryoga's mom's face was a mask as she looked at her daughter-in-law-to-be. Akari started to sweat as the woman raised her hand to lightly touch Akari's face. The hand cupped Akari's chin and the hint of a smile appeared on Akemi's face. "Well, enough of that," Akemi whispered. With that, the woman's hand shot behind Akari's neck and nearly lifted the girl from her feet as Akemi pulled Akari into a tight embrace. Akemi held her very tight as the older woman whispered "Welcome." Tears leaked from Akari's eyes as she felt the overwhelming emotion from the other woman.

Akari heard her uncle laugh and begin to clap. "Well, now that the introductions are done, come sit down," he called out.

"Good idea," Maomolin seconded. The Elder Cat led everyone over to the table. Akemi and Kenta bowed politely to the Suzu and Tadashi, and a little deeper to Grandfather. The old man seemed satisfied with the acknowledgement.

The questions started out traditionally with Tadashi inquiring about the Hibiki parents trip to the house. Ryoga's parents responded that arriving here had gone very smoothly and returned the inquiry. Gradually, Tadashi managed to turn the conversation to business and mentioned his law practice (something which confused Grandfather, but he didn't admit it). Kenta answered the unspoken question by saying that he was a wildcatter and a miner - work that kept him away from Japan. Sometime later, Akemi implied that she was a travel magazine writer. This prompted Suzu to ask about places Akemi had been, and Akemi had no shortage of stories, much to Akari's aunt's delight. Meanwhile, the servants brought out food as the pleasant conversation continued.

Eventually though, Grandfather became impatient with the polite fencing. "You," he said while pointing at Kenta Hibiki. "Are you related to the doctor?" Grandfather asked abruptly, his finger transferring to Maomolin.

Kenta stared at Grandfather for a minute. Akari couldn't tell if Kenta was insulted or not by his impassive expression, but she relaxed a little when she thought she saw a glimmer of amusement in his eye. "Mao is my cousin, a few times removed," Kenta lied cleanly. "He's also Ryoga's guardian when Akemi and I are required to be outside of Japan," he added formally. "Any agreement he's made on Ryoga's behalf with Ryoga's blessing is valid."

"Well, that's all fine and good…" Grandfather started.

Akari winced as Kenta cut him off. "That includes matters of betrothal," the father said dispassionately. Akemi nodded firmly.

"Now, see here!" Grandfather insisted, his chest swelling. "I've worked long and hard to build up my farm. I'm not going to let some sweet-talking vagabond make off with it. Any suitor of my Granddaughter with have to buy his share of the farm before I'll allow the marriage!"

"Shut up, old man! It's already been sorted out!" Suzu hissed, but Grandfather ignored her and stared defiantly at Kenta. Ryoga was also wincing and Akemi looked annoyed now. Akari tried to desperately think of some way to defuse the situation. Maomolin looked like he was in the same boat.

Kenta held Grandfather's gaze silently and expressionlessly. Finally, he turned to Ryoga. "My son, do you love this woman?" Kenta pointed at Akari.

Ryoga straightened up. "Yes, father," he answered formally.

"Would you love her if she was poor and homeless?" Kenta pressed.

"Yes, father," Ryoga answered immediately.

Kenta looked at Akari. She quailed slightly under his impervious gaze. "And you, young lady. Do you love my son?"

"Yes, sir," she answered. Before he could ask the next question, she answered quickly: "And I would love him if he was penniless and a wanderer." Akari was sure she saw amusement in his eyes now.

"Fool girl," Grandfather muttered, shocking Akari.

"Perhaps," Kenta answered for her in a monotone voice. "May we all be such fools." With that he reached into a shirt pocket and took out a leather pouch the size of his hand. Quickly, he slammed it down in front of his son with enough force to rivet the attention of everyone in the room. The mouth of the pouch opened and some of the contents spilled out. A hissing sound escaped from Tadashi - there's something unmistakable about gems, even if they are uncut.

"Take them, boy," Kenta ordered his son. "You've done a man's job, so you deserve a man's reward. I had planned to give those to you on your wedding day, but you need them now."

Ryoga tried to protest, but Kenta locked gazes with him and Ryoga shut up immediately. Wordlessly, he nodded and picked up the pouch, placing the loose gems back inside. Kenta turned his attention to his plate and continued eating. Maomolin had put a hand over his face and was deliberately hiding his expression. Akemi straightened with pride. Shock faded from Tadashi's face to be replaced with amusement. Suzu also concentrated on her plate but had a small smile on her face. Akari didn't know what to do and stared at her plate as well. It was Grandfather that shocked her though. The old man was just staring at Kenta with his mouth moving soundlessly. For five minutes, no one said anything.

Finally, Kenta decided he'd had enough and looked over at Grandfather. The old man was still staring at him. Kenta held his gaze again and said: "Any agreement Mao worked out with you still stands. The couple is to be married when they are ready. I understand they've chosen February 14th, 2004." Ryoga and Akari nodded while still looking at their plates. "My wife and I will be in attendance."

"Agreed," Grandfather choked out. He dropped his eyes and concentrated on his plate. Kenta glanced at Maomolin who nodded discretely. Suzu stole a glance at Akemi, who winked back, so Suzu immediately asked Akemi if she had been to Madagascar, which re-started the conversation.

* * *

Akari had excused herself from the table. Ostensibly, she was looking for the facilities. In reality, she just wanted a few moments to unwind from dinner. While the event was now safely in the past, and the Hibiki's had not taken (permanent) offense, she hadn't counted on her grandfather's pride acting up like that. She was still thoroughly stressed.

"Gods, that could have gone so badly," she thought. "If Kenta and Akemi hadn't dismissed Grandfather as an addled old man…" She sighed. She and Ryoga had known about the stipulation on the farm, and Tadashi had drawn up a legal contract to "adjust" Grandfather's terms so they were reasonable and within Ryoga's capabilities while protecting Akari. But Grandfather couldn't remember the recent past, especially in relation to Akari growing up. She thought (or rather hoped) it was due to his advanced old age, but sometimes she wondered; she remembered her father describing Grandfather as controlling and manipulative. "Still," she reflected, "After putting up with the Oni all their lives, I suppose Grandfather is just mud on a pig's back to the Hibikis."

She wandered the house looking for something she could not identify, but recognized when she found it - a balcony. She walked over and opened the door and a warm summer breeze immediately wrapped around her. The house was set on a low-mountainside and looked out on a beautiful scene. Below her were vineyards and orchards full of leaves, but no fruit yet. There were no workers in the fields today, but there probably didn't need to be. Off in the distance, she could see what were likely vegetable fields, but they were too far away to completely identify. In the vineyards immediately below, she could easily make out beehives. She looked back and up at the house - it was huge! There were many more balconies. Like this one, they were loaded with flowering plants. "This isn't a house!" she thought. "It's a palace!" After a few moments taking in the obviously Japanese architecture, she said to herself: "I know where we are. I know who owns this house. It all makes sense. I'll have to make something for him later - Kasumi remarked that he ate every fruit tart at the dojo." She looked out over the scene again. After a few moments, she thought: "I have to get back to the others. No more exploring; it would be too easy to get lost here."

Akari opened the door and closed it behind her. As she started to walk back to the others, her warning instincts flared, but not fast enough. Happosai appeared in front of her and jumped up. He reached around to tap a place on the back of her neck and she collapsed on the floor.


	5. Revelations

Chapter 5: Revelations

"Sorry, lass," he muttered. "But this is necessary." He took out a jar of oil. "Betrothed of my disciple's son, I give you to the Balance by the power of Water…" He placed a dot of oil high on her forehead. "Wind…" Another dot was placed down and to the right of the first. "Earth." Now down and to the left, directly below the first. "And Fire." He used the fourth dot of oil to complete the circle. Then he pressed his palm over all four dots of oil. "Done!" he said in satisfaction. He stood up. "Well," he said out loud. "I suppose we should get you started on your way…" With that, he pulled out a flask, and started to unseal it so he could pour it on the prone girl. He was so intent on his task that he never saw the blast coming…

* * *

"BASTARD!" Kenta raged as his ball of Chi smashed into Happosai throwing the little man and his bottle away from Akari. It was the first real emotion anyone had heard in his voice all day. "I should have killed you when I had the chance!"

Happosai bounced off the wall and tried to catch his bottle. Ryoga's blast blew the bottle through the closed door and out onto the balcony. The little man wailed: "NO! We need that!" He tried to get to the bottle, but he was shoved aside by a rather large cat that leaped through the door and onto the balcony, widening the hole in the wooden door. With one swipe, the cat threw the flask far into the fields below.

"YOU IDIOT!" Happosai yelled at Maomolin. Maomolin turned and there was a murderous look in the cat's eyes. The cat grew from four feet long to eight. Its color darkened to black and the head grew so it could barely fit through the doorway as it shouldered the door's remains aside and walked back in. Happosai paled and started to back up. The legs thickened and the paws swelled as Chi claws became visible. "Now, now. Maybe I was a bit hasty," Happosai said appeasingly.

The cat stepped over Akari and grew another two feet in length. Its shoulders were immense. "You fear what Ranma may become if he ever masters the Cat Fist," the great cat growled. "I *AM* the Cat Fist!"

Happosai was seized from behind as Kenta snatched him off the ground. "You lying piece of crap," Kenta hissed at him as Happosai was held against the wall. "For ten years I served you to gain enough power to destroy the Oni - and you abandoned me!" Kenta raged.

"Now be reasonable," Happosai said soothingly. "I traveled the world to look for ways to destroy it. It's not my fault there were none."

Ryoga was kneeling on the floor next to Akari and checking her vitals. Once he was assured that she was alive, he started to try and wake her. "You know him?" he indicated of Happosai to his father.

Kenta nodded grimly. "Once upon a time, he was my Master. I was his disciple supposedly."

"Still are," Happosai pointed out. "That was a lifetime contract. So how about honoring it, and putting your kind old Master down." Kenta tightened his grip, but this was Happosai, so it had no real effect.

"That's all right," Maomolin growled. "You can just give him to me."

"Oh come now," Happosai blustered at Maomolin. "I'm on the Council. You don't really want to make them angry now, do you?" On the floor, Akari was coughing and starting to come around. "And I didn't really hurt her."

"What did you do to her?" Ryoga demanded.

"I just wished her congratulations on her official engagement," Happosai protested innocently.

"Ryoga?" Akari said in confusion.

"Right here, Love," he answered.

"What's on my forehead?" she asked. "Why is it sore?"

Happosai muttered something under his breath as Ryoga brushed her hair back. "What the hell is that?" Ryoga demanded looking at four brown dots on his fiancée's forehead.

"It's just a blessing welcoming her into the family," Happosai explained in a patronizing tone. "It's usually done on infants, so I wasn't aware the oil irritated the skin like that. Babies can't really complain too well."

Kenta's eyes narrowed as he looked at the mark on Akari's forehead. "You were responsible then!" he exclaimed sharply. As the others looked questioningly at him, he explained: "Shortly after Ryoga was born, that same mark appeared on his forehead. It vanished after a few days. Happosai claimed to know nothing, but Akemi always suspected he had done something."

"What does it mean, bastard?" Maomolin growled at him. "Why is it there?"

"Well, if you set me down, I'll explain," the old man said soothingly. "It's really rather simple."

"What were the words to this blessing, old man," Kenta growled. He did not let up on his grip on Happosai.

"Oh dear, what were they? My mind is old and I get so flustered," Happosai muttered.

A young voice said from behind all of them: "They were: "Betrothed of my disciple's son, I give you to the Balance by the power of Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire." They all turned to look at Tomo who was now standing there. Only Akari and Happosai were surprised - it was Tomo who had called the other three to Akari's aid. Nonetheless, the little Kitsune's words stunned everyone - except Happosai. The little old man smashed Kenta's wrist. Kenta was caught off-guard as the blow was hard enough to shatter a normal person's hand to pieces. As it was, he loosened his grip enough so that Happosai shot free and vanished.

"That won't save you! I can see you!" Maomolin growled as he tore off after the fugitive. He raced around a corner and was gone.

Ryoga looked up at his father as he helped Akari stand up. The elder Hibiki was flexing his wrist. Aside from a bruise, the hand seemed to be all right. "You're a Martial Artist?" the son asked his father.

Kenta's neutral face had returned. "Yep. You inherited it from me. Sorry about that," he answered without inflection.

"I'm not sorry," Ryoga answered. His father threw him a quick look of something that might have been amusement.

"I'm not either," Akari echoed.

"And Happosai was your Master," Ryoga sighed. Kenta nodded and Ryoga added: "Just like Soun and Genma."

"Who?" Kenta quizzed.

"Akane's and Ranma's fathers," Akari explained.

Recognition dawned in Kenta's eyes. "I think we have a lot to talk about," he said. "But we'll have to do it later. We need to get back." He looked at Tomo, who was standing there respectably and had not spoken since revealing Happosai's words. "Can you please take us back?"

"Yes, sir," Tomo said with a bow. "I'll stay with you until Maomolin returns." With that, they followed the young boy, all of them trying hard not to think about what Maomolin was trying to accomplish at this very moment. They were trying even harder not to wish him good hunting.

* * *

Happosai bolted through the palace trying to make sense of the layout. Unfortunately, this was an ancient Kitsune's home and space was extremely relative - two doors on the same wall could lead to completely different compass points. "I just have to find a balcony," Happosai thought. "Then jump. Once I'm clear of Jakaro's house, I can Gate out of here." The house was baffling him though. The more he tried to find an outside room, the more interior rooms he found.

It didn't help that Maomolin was right behind him roaring for blood. "This doesn't make any sense!" Happosai thought. "Maomolin's a coward! He runs from fights! He schemes and hides in shadows! He certainly doesn't change himself into a huge panther and tear after his foes! What the hell's up with this?!" Happosai felt the power flowing in the Chi claws even from a distance (something else that shocked him). No matter how skilled the ancient Martial Artist was, or how much Chi he had stashed in his pipe, he was at a severe disadvantage here.

He turned a corner and raced through a door into another room. Immediately he recognized that the room was a dead end - only one way in. Immediately, Maomolin pounced at Happosai. "OH CRAP!" the old man's mind screamed as he threw up a hasty Shield. The claws bit into the Shield, but the Shield held and repelled the huge cat. Maomolin bounced off and Happosai fired a column of force at him. The claws shredded the column like several sawmill blades slicing a tree. Happosai threw himself at a wall determined to break through - Jakaro could take his complaints to the Council! However, the walls held and he only bounced off. "Perfect," he thought as the panther pounced again. Once more the Shield held and Maomolim was thrown back. Happosai raced at the back wall and bounced up off of it to run along the ceiling. Maomolim managed to reach up and score a direct hit with a paw swipe. Happosai's Shield shattered and he was thrown hard back against the wall again. He landed upright and uninjured. The little man conjured another Shield and prepared for the cat's next pounce.

Much to his surprise, it never came. The panther had leaped, but something caught it and held the great cat from behind. Huge stone arms had snaked in under the cat's front limbs, reached around, and now fastened behind the cat's neck. The panther was standing almost upright, struggling against the hold, but his legs were kicked out from under him. "Let me go!" Maomolin growled.

"You will not shed his blood in my house," a deep voice proclaimed from behind Maomolin.

"He deserves death! He cursed my family!"

"And yet they live, Lost One," the voice returned. A great stone statue could now be seen behind the panther, restraining it.

"He dragged them into this war!" Maomolin roared.

"There is no escape from this war. We are all involved! Think on that my friend! And remember, because of him, the Summoning happened! The Cycle is gearing up again! Because of him, Henna's time will come to an end."

"But he did it by sacrificing my children!" Maomolin growled loudly, but he was starting to sag in the statue's grip.

"And I say again, they are alive." The voice was gentler now. "Ryoga, Ranma, and Akane are alive. Yes, he did mark them for sacrifice, but they returned. And they returned stronger. Earth, Wind, and Fire are now free of Henna. She only holds Water, the key Element. Once she's broken of that, it's over."

"But Akari has to die now," Maomolin said angrily.

"Maybe yes, maybe no. Again, the others returned. Maybe she will too - if she dies."

"Only by a sacrifice will the Sprite be broken free." Maomolin's head was bowed now and he was hanging in the statue's arms, defeated.

"And yet, he's marked more than four children," Jakaro told him.

"What?" The panther's shape began to shrink back to the human shape Maomolin wore. Jakaro's shape shifted as well, shrinking back to his humanoid Kitsune form, but he maintained a tight grip on Maomolin.

"That's a lie!" Happosai yelled which turned out to be a major mistake. The floor and walls immediately shackled him and pinned him upright against a wall (A/N: Never tick off a Kitsune in his own house).

Lord Jakaro gave Happosai a disgusted look. "Shut up," the Kitsune Lord commanded. "You marked Pantyhose Taro on the same day you gave him that ridiculous name. You have marked six children now that I know of. Who knows how many I don't know of?"

"Why?" Maomolin asked plaintively, directing the question at Jakaro.

"I don't know," Jakaro answered honestly enough. "I could guess, but that's all I have - guesses. I don't want to muddle up your thinking. But let Happosai live. Forget about him - he's not worth it. He's only a dead end. After millennia, you're one of us now - worry about the Living."

The cat-now-human held still for a long moment. Then he took a deep breath and blew it out. "All right. I swear I will not kill Happosai while in your house or on this day - wait, better make it a week. You can let go of me now."

Lord Jakaro immediately released him and the Cat Lord straightened up. "And what about next week?" Jakaro asked him.

Maomolin shrugged his shoulders and the ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "I make no promises. He's a disgusting human being. He may do something to tick me off next week."

Jakaro shook his head. "Seriously, forget about him. Forget about the Council. Walk away. You owe them nothing."

Happosai's eyes widened as Maomolin started to nod his head. "Wait a minute!" the gnome shouted out. "He's not done! He's never done! He gave us seven years of service _outside of time_. In return, he's been restored to the Circles of the World, he's found his reincarnated True Love, and he has a family now! Somehow, he's even developed a backbone! We gave him a real life!" Happosai looked directly at Maomolin. "Regardless of how you feel about me, without us, without the Council, you'd be less than a ghost wandering the moors crying into the night for the rest of eternity! You're honor bound to us, my boy! You belong to us!"

Jakaro's eyes hardened but they did not match the wintry chill of Maomolin's eyes. The Cat Lord raised his human hand and two long Chi cat claws shot forth to embed themselves in the wall on either side of Happosai's neck. Happosai's eyes widened. "Seven years?" Maomolin whispered. "You think I spent seven years outside of time? Oh no, my disgusting caricature of a human. I spent far more than that." His voice grew stronger now. "The Council gave me a seven-year time loop. The first time I used the loop, the Oni won, and I watched Hell come to Earth. I failed. So I used the time loop again. This time, I stopped the Oni, but Ryoga died - just like the original version of events. Except this time, I got to see Nature tear itself apart. So I used the loop again. And again. And again. Every time I rode the time loop, I learned something more. I passed on this knowledge - these memories - by merging with my younger self. Eventually, I figured out that I needed to involve other people in Ryoga's life to find a solution - that no man was an island. But, now I was affecting other people and changing their lives as well. Despite sometimes achieving my goal, I often traded someone else's life for Ryoga's. Do you think that would have sat well with Ryoga? I know it didn't sit well with me - so I rode the loop again. My world widened. I learned about Henna, and that the Oni was just a small piece of a larger picture. I learned that the very Council I worked for was Henna's enemy. And I rode the loop, picking up more and more information. I came to know the players and to care about them. So, on I went, testing more and more variations. I even ran iterations where I did nothing at all in the hopes that maybe I was the problem - no such luck, they were the worst of all. So, I kept at it, trying to find one where all the good guys won."

Maomolin's eyes blazed. "I've seen your precious Council razed to the ground more times than I care to count. I've seen your Lord Altrus gutted. I've seen Henna bathing in your blood. I've seen the Oni ignite Mt. Fuji and bury Japan. I watched China get literally cracked in half. I've seen Henna start wars without an end in sight. I've watched millions - No! Billions die!" he snarled coldly. Happosai stood there with his mouth hanging open. Even Jakaro looked shocked.

Maomolin's voice dropped. "So, here we are after the end of the final iteration. I've learned that it's not up to me to save the World. I'm not the solution, just a part of it. So I accomplished my mission, but I've also made sure that the Children of the Balance - my family - are as strong as they could be." His look became disdainful. "Owe you?" he questioned. "Without me, all your precious plans would be in ruins. After Henna nearly killed Ono, I'm the one who kept him alive until the recovery squad found him. I'm the one who kept the Cat Fist from killing Ranma when he was a young teen. I'm the one who linked Ranma and Ryoga - my sons - so Ryoga would be strong. At Jusendo, I was the one who fed Akane power so she didn't die until after Saffron died, so she could return to life without interference. I helped Ranma and Ryoga defeat the Stone Oni, and I'm the one who told Ryoga how to prevent the Stone Oni from ever returning by destroying the Hearth Stone in its body."

The Cat made the Chi claws vanish and stormed over to Happosai. He ripped the small man from the house's grip. "I owe the Council nothing and I'm done. I serve the Children, not the Council, and definitely not you!" he growled. With that, he opened his fist and let Happosai drop disdainfully. The gnome was too shocked to land properly. Then Maomolin turned and stalked out of the room.

Jakaro and Happosai stood there in shock a little longer, and then Jakaro shook himself. He looked at Happosai and said: "You are hereby banished from all lands of the Kitsune for the severe violation of assaulting the Lady Akari Unryu, one of our Guests. You have one hour to get your backside out of here or feel our wrath. I will be filing a formal protest with the Council for this diplomatic violation. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go comfort my friend - and show him he's a bigger part of the solution than he thinks."

* * *

Next day:

Maomolin sat in Doctor Tofu's office as the doctor talked on the phone - or rather listened to the phone with it held about 30 centimeters from his ear. Taro's (formerly Pantyhose Taro's) voice yelled loudly over the line calling Happosai every name in, under, and over Hell. When the young man finally ran down, Tofu brought the phone back to his ear. "Are you done yet?" the doctor asked. There was a brief pause and Tofu continued: "Get in line. Even Maomolin wants to kill him. Unfortunately, we have work to do. Now go get the Loremaster." There was another pause and Tofu rubbed his eyes as he listened. "Because we have the incantation you and the others were hit with. It might be nice if we knew if there's any more to it." After a third pause, Tofu lost his patience and ordered: "PRIVATE! GO GET THE LOREMASTER!" Tofu rolled his eyes at the response, but he seemed to calm down. The doctor looked over at the shape-shifted Cat and said understatedly: "Taro's a little upset, but he's finally getting Xiam."

"Xiam's the Loremaster?" Maomolin quizzed. "I thought he was just a Guide."

"All the Guides are Lorekeepers," Tofu explained. "The Chinese Government doesn't advertise the fact that it has Mystics guarding Jusenkyo, but the Guides are the best ones to try and keep the things under control."

"I'm surprised Beijing didn't try and destroy Jusenkyo," Maomolin commented.

"They did try," Tofu explained. "Jusenkyo fought back. The Chinese lost over a hundred men out right. Twice that many were cursed. Then Jusenkyo began expanding despite the levies and dykes their engineering corps made to try and restrict it. The water began tainting wells in local villages - and cities. Finally, Beijing restored everything and backed off. The Lorekeepers became Guides at that point."

Maomolin made a thoughtful face. "Interesting…"

Tofu and the Loremaster spoke for thirty minutes with Maomolin listening in. When done talking to Xiam, Tofu spoke firmly to Taro so the young man would continue to stay with the Guides and not hunt for Happosai. Finally, the doctor hung up. Maomolin sat there quietly for a few moments as Tofu rubbed his eyes and finally sighed. Then the shape-shifted Cat said with a shake of his head: "All this time, and I never saw the connection."

"You're not a god, Maomolin," Tofu dismissed. "Happosai 'blessed' the Trio outside of your time loop."

"I still should have seen it," Maomolin replied. "I knew Jusenkyo, Jusendo, and Ryugenzawa were important. Unless the Trio went to all three Springs, the Sequence always ended horribly - as in 'End of the World' horribly. But I never thought the Springs were actually *summoning* Ryoga, Ranma, and Akane."

"Looks that way," Tofu admitted. "Happosai's ritual marks a child. Marking the child is not enough though. The full consecration happens when the child is baptized three times. That didn't happen in Taro's case - he was exposed to Jusendo and Ryugenzawa as an adult."

"And he wasn't Sacrificed. So that means the Waters didn't choose him even though he was marked," Maomolin noted.

Tofu nodded and added: "And we don't know if Akari's been chosen. But, with the Storm so close, we're not leaving things to chance. Like we talked about this morning, we're going to baptize her. I have Water from Ryugenzawa - you can take that to her immediately. Olaf should be in town now. I'll talk to him about Jusendo - he'll go as soon as we can make arrangements." The doctor's voice hardened then. "Lord Jakaro found Happosai's bottle, and it had Jusenkyo water in it. We are not letting him play Russian Roulette with Akari. We need to find another Sacred Spring - and fast…" Maomolin only nodded.

They sat a while in silence. After a bit, Tofu gave a big sigh and asked: "Where are Ryoga's parents right now?"

"They are going to be running a gas station near a town called Rachel, Nevada," the Cat answered.

"Huh?"

"Rachel sits in a null area; magic doesn't work too well there, and the cursed teleportation doesn't work at all. Not only that, the GPS units work extremely well. It's probably one of the few places on Earth the Hibikis cannot wander away from accidently," Maomolin said with a smirk.

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. Not only that, the area drains magic. I think this will put the finishing touch on the Hibiki curse."

"Halleluiah," Tofu said relieved. "But what makes you so sure, they'll stay put."

"Well," Maomolin drawled. "I can safely say that Kenta's not going anywhere for a bit."

"Oh?"

"Yep," the Cat continued off-handedly. "Akemi handcuffed him to the bed. I left the house in a hurry as she began taking off her shirt. Seems she has some curious tastes. I don't think I'll tell Ryoga though."

Tofu's eyes opened wide as he processed that. Then given the events of the past few days, he did something very inappropriate - he roared with laughter.


	6. Olaf's Tale

Chapter 6: Olaf's Tale

Olaf arrived at the farm just before sunset. "Miserable bastard," he thought. "He's creating backups to make sure there's someone to butcher at the appointed time is he? I'm taking the game away from him right now!" He strode up to the door, noting the Earth Wards. "Not bad, the lad shows promise," he approved quietly. The Wards responded to Olaf, but, since he wasn't a threat, they let him pass unmolested. He knocked on the door, and two kids opened the door. Immediately, their mouths dropped open as they stared up at the modern Viking standing two and a quarter meters. Olaf suppressed an urge to laugh and instead gently said (so not to spook them): "Hello there. My name is Olaf, I'm here to see Miss Unryu. Is she here?"

The two kids nodded, but did not move.

Again, he resisted the urge to laugh. "Could you go get her - or maybe your mom?" he asked. They nodded and bolted, slamming the door.

Soon, a young woman in her mid-to-late twenties came to the door. Her kids were pushing her forward, the girl insisting: "But there is a giant at the door, Mama! Go look!" The mother opened the door and repeated her children's performance.

Olaf held his head now. Then he tried again: "Umm…Hello? I'm here to see Miss Unryu?"

The woman snapped out of her trance and said: "Oh! I'm sorry, please come in!" Olaf smiled and accepted the open door. Within a few minutes, he was seated in the main common room in a large chair with a cup of tea.

"Olaf!" Akari called out. "What brings you here? Can you stay for dinner?" Ryoga was just behind her, followed by Maomolin.

"I'm afraid it's business, ma'am," he said formally.

"Stop that," she scolded him. "Business or not, you're among family. Now what's up?"

Olaf looked at Maomolin. "Did you use the bottle Tofu gave you?" he asked the Cat.

Ryoga's face turned grave and he sighed. "He did," the young man answered. "Wish it wasn't necessary."

Akari made a dismissing gesture. "I'll take the improved odds, thank you very much," she said. "Is there a problem with it?"

"No," Olaf replied firmly. "Tofu asked me to go to Jusendo after the wedding, but I don't have to - I have a bottle of the Water with me. Tofu didn't know I filled one. You can have a drink now."

Now Akari sighed. "No point putting this off. Otherwise Happosai will strike again. From what Maomolin told me, it's going to happen, whether I like it or not."

"I'm afraid we need to act like that's the case, lass. Once you're consecrated, if you're one of the Chosen, you're going to get marked three times one way or another. Given how little time we have, it's likely events are going to spiral out of our control very quickly. If Happosai really does have Jusenkyo Water, he's not going to miss next time. We need to take back control."

"This doesn't solve that though," Ryoga said grimly. "Jusendo will only be the second 'Blessing'."

"Well, I may have an answer to that, but I'd like to talk privately. Is there somewhere we can go?" the giant asked. "And we need a shot glass anyway."

Akari nodded and led them through the farmhouse to her office, stopping at the kitchen momentarily for the glass and more tea. When the three men were seated with their drinks, Akari sat down behind her desk and said: "My people treat this room as off-limits. Besides, they are getting ready for dinner."

Olaf motioned for the shot glass. "First things first," he stated. He took a bottle marked with foreign writing and filled the shot glass. "Here," he said. "Drink half and pour the rest on your forehead."

"That's what we did with the Water of Life," Maomolin said quietly.

Akari nodded in agreement as she took the glass. She paused studying it. "It doesn't look unusual," she noted.

"It doesn't taste unusual either," Olaf reassured her. "The Water of Life is a little sweet, but Jusendo water just tastes like mineral water." At Ryoga's questioning look, Olaf added: "I got curious. That's why I took a bottle."

Akari sipped half as she was told, and splashed the rest on her forehead. Ryoga got up and handed his fiancée a cloth napkin to dry herself. She waited a moment and said: "I don't feel any different."

Ryoga shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't when I got hit either. No one else noticed anything different either. But it does have power - it restored Akane."

"Well, hopefully it will help me too," she said with another sigh. She sat the glass down and looked at Olaf. "So, what's your idea?" she asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"You're definitely a business woman," Olaf commented. She flashed a brief smile at him and he settled back in his chair. Then he started: "Like everyone else, my people have legends and lore regarding holy artifacts and places. One of the legends concerns a spring - a very special spring called Mímisbrunnr, Mimir's Well; anyone who drinks from the Well gains Wisdom. It's rumored to spring from the roots of the World Tree that my people name Yggdrasil."

"I've heard of Yggdrasil, but I doubt it's anywhere near us - if in this world at all," Ryoga noted a little skeptically.

"Well," Olaf said drawing out the word a little while rubbing his short beard. "That depends on your point of view. It's said that all Worlds rest in Yggdrasil's branches, and that Mímisbrunnr's water is everywhere Yggdrasil reaches."

"I'd also be careful to dismiss other's people's legends, Oh Pig-Kitsune," Maomolin mocked lightly to Ryoga.

Ryoga grinned a little sheepishly. "I'll give you half a point - I'm Kitsune by adoption only," he replied.

"All right," Akari said calling things back to order. "I have a feeling you know where the Well is. Do we need to travel to Europe after the wedding then?"

In answer to her question, Olaf reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial filled with a clear liquid. The vial was glowing faintly. "No," he said somberly. "Apparently, the Water came to you." He leaned forward and placed the vial on the desk in front of Akari. As he did that, the vial began to shine brightly.

"I know what I said a minute ago, but you have to be kidding," Maomolin said while staring at the vial.

"When I was a boy, about the human equivalent of 14," Olaf began. "I was out hunting elk in Northern Norway. I had become separated from my group, but I was a Giant - I wasn't worried about Nature or the Elements. Still I had been wandering lost for a few days and I was getting annoyed. Then, one afternoon, the sky clouded over quickly - more like instantly. The clouds opened up and I was drenched thoroughly. Now, a Giant is immune to most weather, but I was tired, lost, and had had enough. I wanted a break - and shelter. I looked about and noticed a big tree not far away. It was hard not to notice it; the thing was huge! The main trunk was at least a hundred meters in diameter and had branches and roots twisting out of it the size of modern-day highways. The top of the tree was probably lost in the clouds, but I wasn't anxious to stare into the rain to find out. I figured that something that large had to offer a nook or cranny I could rest in."

"You didn't smell the setup?" Maomolin asked.

"If I had a brain cell in my head working at the time, I would have bolted the other way, but I was tired and annoyed. As it was, I couldn't identify the leaves, and I was *good* at woodcraft; that still didn't set off any alarm bells."

"I wonder if it was tampering with you," Maomolin prompted.

"I wonder that myself some times," Olaf admitted. "Anyway, the tree kept the rain off and blocked the wind, so I found a nice patch of ground next to the trunk and settled down."

Akari sighed. "And of course, the ground gave way."

Olaf winked at her. "You can finish the story if you like, lass," he said with a grin.

"That's all right; I might miss one of the nuances," she grinned back at him. "I'll behave," she promised.

Olaf laughed and continued: "Anyway, yes, I was dumped in to a fast flowing underground river that carried me off like a shot. I was banged this way and that for a bit until finally the river tossed me up on a shelf of rock. I lay there for quite some time until I got my breath back. Now I was really soaked and missing most of my possessions because I had taken off my pack before I sat down. After I was done feeling sorry for myself, I took stock of my situation. I was alive, I could breathe, and I could somehow see. All of which shouldn't have been true," he summed up. The others just nodded.

"I was underground in a small cavern with the river pooling in front of me. The shelf I was sitting on went back a good ways into the cave wall and was large enough for me to stand and move comfortably. The river emerged from a tunnel with a good deal of air above the water. It flowed out of the cavern through another tunnel at a left angle from the first, so the cavern was sitting in a bend - probably how the shelf was formed. The light came from two sources - one was the river that was glowing faintly as it flowed in and out of the tunnels. More importantly, it also came from a hole in the ceiling of the cavern. The hole was about four meters in diameter, and about forty meters up and away."

"I had left my pack back at the tree, but I still had my hunting belt which contained, among other things, enough cord and a grappling hook. 'All right' I thought. 'I'll throw the hook up there and climb out.'"

"Easier said than done," Ryoga laughed.

Olaf grinned. "All right, so it took a few tries. Anyway, I managed to do it - soaking myself in the process again. I had no choice but to wade - carefully - into the river to get a decent angle. Still, the hook held and, a short time later, I was topside."

"And…" Maomolin prompted.

"Well, here comes the really weird part. I climbed out of a real well. It was made solidly and stood about two meters high. It was really good stone work," Olaf said.

"What's so weird about that?" Akari asked.

"Because it was the only thing around for as far as the eye could see," he replied.

"No town? No farms?" Maomolin quizzed.

"No town, no farms, no road, no forest, no sea, no grass, no nothing," Olaf answered. "A perfectly blue sunny sky hung over an endless expanse of grey rock. That's it."

"How far could the river have carried you?" Ryoga asked.

Olaf shook his head. "Not *that* far," he answered. "And the air was cold, like in late autumn. It should have been warm as it was late spring."

"Another world then," Maomolin concluded.

"Yep," Olaf agreed. "But it took me a little time to accept that conclusion. So I sat down and tried to reason everything out. I reviewed everything that happened and after a bit, some odd things struck me - the first was that tree, the second was the river that came from under its roots, the third was an obvious well in the middle of literally nowhere, and the fourth was that I hadn't drowned."

"But you're extremely strong," Ryoga commented. "And the river didn't go to the top of its tunnel."

"But I didn't know how to swim," Olaf explained. "I never had occasion to learn, but I could now - somehow it came to me as soon as I hit the river. Also, I was sitting there thinking - that was unusual for me at the time. Usually, I would have just picked an action and gone for it. There was a reason I was separated from my party - I was very impulsive. Now, all of a sudden, I was thoughtful?"

"And you remembered the stories of Yggdrasil and Mimir's Well," Maomolin supplied.

"Bit of a dead giveaway with a real well at my back," Olaf acknowledged ruefully. "Mímisbrunnr is more of a spring in the Old Tales - not surrounded by a proper well cap. Apparently, Yggdrasil was still worried I wouldn't get it despite being dunked in the Mímisbrunnr, so it made sure I had a proper clue..." The others chuckled quietly at that and Olaf went on: "So, my options were to stay put, strike out in this world and see if I could find a way home, or…go back into the well." The man, the woman, and the Cat all pointed repeatedly at the floor. "Yep," Olaf acknowledged. "Back in the well. I won't bore you with the details, only to say that it took a while to make my way to the shelf again and then back upstream. But I was immune to the cold - although it was warmer in the well than above, I had eaten well recently, and I had plenty of Water about. Unfortunately, drinking more of Mímisbrunnr's water doesn't make you any wiser - once you get the Gift, that's your lot. Still, I was in no danger of dehydrating. Luckily, I had the tools in my belt; between that, my new found Wisdom, and patience, I made it back."

He paused to take a drink and continued: "Once I reached the roots of Yggdrasil, before going topside again, I filled a bag with the Water. I knew I was in the right spot because my pack was still there, although it was obvious that the seasons had moved on - more than they should have. It was now early autumn from the other trees about - Yggdrasil didn't seem to care. I sighed about the Time, but that's the risk when you walk on other Worlds. I had also grown a bit - the pack had to be adjusted. Still I wanted to go home, so I bowed to Yggdrasil, reasoned a good direction, and strode off."

"About two leagues from the Tree - that's about 11 kilometers, I found another spring and had a good look at my reflection. Apparently I had aged to the human equivalent of a 17 year-old and gained a decent bit of height. My clothes had adjusted too - weird, but not weird enough to worry me. What did worry me was that my water bag had somehow sprung a leak without me noticing and almost all of the Water had drained away - except a small bit. I immediately patched the leak and turned around to go back to Yggdrasil - even then I knew that there was too much stupidity in the world to let this golden opportunity pass by." The others rolled their eyes a little and shook their heads side-to-side. Olaf just laughed and added: "Yes, Yggdrasil was gone. Even though I followed my own trail back to the spot, there was a much smaller - although still impressive - tree there. The hole I fell through was nowhere to be seen. Jumping and stomping on the ground got me nowhere either, although the local wildlife probably got a good laugh. Eventually, I had to sigh and give up - although I made sure to safeguard the little bit of Water - about half a liter - I had."

"I made my way back to my village and was relieved to know that only about four months had passed. My people were concerned about my disappearance, but not alarmed yet - it wasn't unusual for some rash youth - like me - to take off for a little bit in the summer and show up before winter. They wrote off the height gain to a growth spurt and figured that was why I had been out-of-sorts. I didn't tell them about Yggdrasil. Instead, I just apologized to the village elders and my parents, and promised to do my best to make it up to them and earn my keep. My extra size and maturity made it easy to keep my word and all was forgiven."

"I placed the little bit of Water in a clear glass jar and sealed it tight. Things settled down after that. I learned to fight like every lad my age and moved up the warrior ranks quickly. I also learned the Lore of my people and developed a thirst for knowledge. I became knowledgeable in what medicine we knew, the ways of farming, seamanship, woodcraft, whatever magic I could safely learn - on and on. Mímisbrunnr hadn't changed who I was: I was still restless, but now I had also learned patience - or close enough. The Water was with me inside and out. Whenever I need to think about anything, I would sit in my room and hold the jar, and the jar would glow faintly, somehow calming my thoughts and allowing me to focus."

"However, about ten years after my return, the restlessness grew, and I knew I had to leave my village and see the World. As luck would have it, I was contemplating the idea one day when I was holding the jar of Water, and the jar began glowing brightly. As an experiment, I held it up to the 'compass points', and it glowed brightest when I faced southeast. That was all the encouragement I needed. I was still young as my people counted the years, but old enough that my parents gave me their blessing. I left most of my possessions with them for safekeeping, including a small chest containing most of the Water and a note detailing what it really was. The chest was not to be opened unless I was gone more than ten years - my people are good at keeping Oaths. I had a small vial of the Water much like that one." Olaf pointed at the vial on Akari's desk. "And it would always glow when I held it to the southeast."

"I walked around the Baltic Sea and followed that glow down into Asia. I hiked only at night making sure to avoid human settlements, something that was easier in those days." Olaf's audience gave a start at that. "Eventually," he continued. "I ended up in an area that would become the Qinghai province of China. There I became the first Giant to enter Jusenkyo." Olaf's face became rueful. "And the first to find the Nanniichuan."

* * *

A/N: One chapter left to go...


	7. Choice

Chapter 7: Choice

"You did that?" Ryoga burst out.

"But…" Akari started. However, she seemed at a loss for words beyond that.

"How long ago was this?" Maomolin asked. While surprised, the cat was not stunned. He had been around a long time himself.

Olaf made a vacillating gesture with his hand. "Seven hundred years ago - or thereabouts. Giants are sort of casual about the years."

"Do you all live that long or was this the Water? I think I need to know this," Akari prompted.

Olaf laughed. "No, the Water gives Wisdom, not Years. Giants are a long lived people. We are not immortal, but a couple of centuries or so to us is like one of your decades. We also have a low birth rate, which is why there are more humans than us. Anyway, as I was saying, Jusenkyo had just added me to your number. I had lost well over half my height, was trapped in my clothes, and I was annoyed. I pulled my stuff out of the spring and grabbed the vial of Water. It was still shining off to the southeast. Grumbling and cursing at it did me no good, so I tried to get organized. It was then that the local tribe - humans, mind you - found me. Unfortunately, we couldn't understand one another and I was in a foul mood. I just growled at them to go away. They must have decided that I was some wild animal that had fallen in the spring, and needed to be put out of my misery. So, they grabbed their spears and threw boiling water at me. Things went rapidly downhill after that. I didn't enjoy getting scalded even if my Giant form quickly shirked off the damage and they didn't enjoy finding out that Giants were resistant to human weapons for the most part." His audience shook and held their collective heads.

"Eventually," Olaf went on. "One of the brighter ones threw Nanniichuan water at me, and I was once again human. This same gent stopped his compatriots from attacking me. I later found out that he pointed out that I hadn't killed anyone, despite the fact that I obviously could. They were use to some 'unusual' reactions from Jusenkyo victims and I was apparently no exception. His calm demeanor worked with his fellow humans, and it worked with me too. Eventually, they gave me hot water, not scalding, and I changed back to my birth form. Then they took me to their village."

The transformed Giant paused to shake his head and added: "To this day, I still honor their collective courage in the face of the unknown. They let me stay with them for several months while I learned their language. Most of the time, I stayed in human shape so I could share their food and shelter. I made a point of helping around their village and their farms to earn my keep - and learn more about them. They were a fairly advanced people for the time: well socialized, decent understanding of arts and music, and had a healthy sense of compassion. No metal workers among them, but they traded with others in the region for the metal they needed, so they understood the concepts - I was able to broaden their knowledge there."

"Finally, I had learned enough of their language that the chief sat down with me. He explained that they were guardians of the Springs of Sorrow and Lorekeepers. They had brought me back to their village to study me and to decide if I was trustworthy. I suppose I realized that they could have disposed of me in my sleep if I proved untrustworthy, but on the other hand, I could have killed all of them in their sleep too; so, I suppose it was a shared risk." Olaf shrugged. "Anyway, the chief wanted to learn about my people. In exchange, we would be granted unlimited access to the Springs and told how to master them. I pretended to think about it for a few minutes and then upp'ed the ante - the Guardians would also have to tell me all about themselves as well. After a bit of laughter, the chief agreed."

"Anyway, I stayed with them for two years learning and sharing with them. Then Mímisbrunnr's Water made it obvious that it was time for me to leave. I bade 'Goodbye' to the Lorekeepers, and hiked home with two bags of Jusenkyo water - one from the Nanniichuan and the other from the Nyanniichuan. I also had a mixture of tree saps that could postpone the shape change - the forerunner of Jusenkyo soap. When I got back to my people, I demonstrated the shape change and told them about the Lorekeepers. The Elders immediately recognized the usefulness of the two Springs; humans were not a problem for us - yet. The knowledge of Jusenkyo could be used to keep them from ever becoming an issue. We would be able to mix and travel freely among their growing numbers. The Elders also figured that they could come up with something similar to the tree saps to control the change."

Olaf took a sip of his tea and continued: "Anyway, that was the first trip Mímisbrunnr's Water sent me on. I've done many others over the years. As soon as I get restless, it has ideas and I go along with them. I have been all over Europe and Asia. I was in England for the War of the Roses and in Italy during the 1500's for part of the Renaissance. I watched the Ottoman Empire revive itself under Murad IV in the early 1600's. In the early 1700's, I was in Saint Petersburg, keeping a watch on Peter the Great's war on Sweden. After Sweden sued for peace and Peter died, I went home for a few years only to get bored and then spent a decade in France during a time of peace. When things got noisy there, I headed home for a visit and then went to the Americas, only to end up watching the American Revolution break out around me."

"Why did you go there?" Ryoga asked.

"Turns out Mímisbrunnr wanted me to sprinkle a few drops in an American general's cup," Olaf shrugged. They all looked at him amazed. "That general wasn't the only person I visited over the centuries. Most of the time, I don't know how or why the individuals were chosen - the general was a bit obvious, but that's not the first vial I've prepared at the Well's insistence," he stated while indicating the Water sitting on Akari's desk.

"Does it insist often?" Akari asked.

"Not all my travels have been at its suggestion," he shrugged. "Just the more interesting ones. And not all have been for mysterious motives; many have been for me - experiences just for me to learn."

"Have you been in many wars?" Maomolin asked.

"A few," Olaf admitted. "But they've mostly been my idea. I don't like bullies, and I don't like slavery, so I've been known to help out the other side here and there. I've played bodyguard a lot too. Really, the only war Mímisbrunnr insisted on was what is now called World War II. I was in Norway at the time, and I didn't like what I was hearing out of Germany, so I wanted to take a look. However, Mímisbrunnr pointed me to Oslo instead of Berlin. I ended up saving one of the Human King's grandchildren from a Nazi kidnapper. I was with Colonel Eriksen at the Oscarsborg Fortress when Germany first tried to invade Norway with a naval attack. We sank the Blucher and forced the flotilla to turn around. I was sent to the Selersten Battery and kept one of the old 40mm anti-aircraft guns going until the Luftwaffe got too heavy for us. Toward the end, I made sure all of my buddies managed to make it to shelter as it became obvious we couldn't keep up. Eventually, I was hit and stunned. They sent me back to Oslo in a medic truck, but honestly, the damage was mostly superficial. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince my buddies of that, so off I went. I was later attached to the royal family and helped them flee to England."

"Wait," Akari stopped him. "You were in human form, right?"

"Yeah," Olaf admitted with a shrug.

"And you've spend a lot of time in human form?" she pushed.

"Yes," he agreed again.

"Not to sound morbid, but why aren't you dead?" she asked. "Humans only live so long and can only take so much."

Olaf shrugged again. "Why do the children of the Musk show animal traits despite having their mothers - or rather great-grandmothers - bathed in the Nyanniichuan?" he returned. "Who we are is never really lost. Ono thinks it's because Giants are really mystical creatures in nature. Jusenkyo doesn't cancel our magic, it just adds to it. A transformed Giant doesn't seem to age any faster. We're not quite as invulnerable in human form, but we are still extremely tough and most of our strength stays with us, although we lose some of the leverage with the change. The bomb that took me out was a glancing blow - a direct hit would have really laid me up. As it was, the planes' machine guns bruised me through the chainmail I wore under my clothes; I was black and blue from the battle, but the bullets didn't pierce my skin - although I have more to fear from modern ammunition."

He took a drink again and then continued: "Anyway, I'm getting away from the point. The Water of Mímisbrunnr has been benevolent to me and others over the years. Enough so that I've always given it the benefit of the doubt. It has led me through some great adventures and brought some great people into my life - like Tofu, Ciren, Mausu, and you lot. Yesterday morning, before I started my trip back to Japan, the main bottle began glowing in sync with my little phial…" He stopped to take out a small ornate phial that glowed brightly in his hand. "I prep'ed that vial." He nodded at the vial on Akari's desk. "I didn't know who it was for until I talked to Tofu this afternoon. Now I do." He looked very directly at Akari.

A mixture of emotions crossed Akari's face. Chief among them was confusion and doubt. "Olaf, I don't know what to say. I'm not sure I can accept such a valuable gift though."

"Stop," he cut her off firmly. "I'm not giving this to you. Mímisbrunnr is. I don't own the Water. I'm just the messenger. From what we know of the Consecration used, it requires three baptisms and Happosai is going to make them happen soon - if Other Powers don't beat him to it. We think the little gnome has Jusenkyo Water, and we don't know of another Water of Power nearby." Then he grinned at her. "Except this one."

Olaf stood up then. "Anyway, I did my job and the new vial is with its owner. There's no mistaking that glow. Keep it or use it, it's yours. I'm not crossing Mímisbrunnr after all its done for me. Now, I heard an offer of dinner. Is that still on?"

Akari gave a small snort of a laugh. "That's one thing I noticed mercenaries had in common with Martial Artists - they're always hungry." She stood up and Maomolin and Ryoga stood up too. "Of course it is, my friend."

* * *

Later on, Akari sat in her office and looked at the vial laying on her desk. Olaf had not mentioned it again during dinner. When he left, he only said that he knew she would do what was right for her and that he trusted her. Apparently, so did Mímisbrunnr. The vial started glowing when she entered the room, but she felt no compulsion coming from it. The light carried a gentle warmth, but that was the only feeling from it. "If I take it," she wondered out loud. "What will I become?"

As she pondered that, she felt a familiar presence watching her. She looked up to see Ryoga studying her silently. His face was impassive, but that wasn't unusual. "At least he's not as bad as his father," Akari thought with a little amusement. "What do you think I should do?" she asked him.

"I think that's up to you, Love," he answered softly. Then he grinned, "For what it's worth, I think you're already the wisest of our Family, with the possible exception of Tofu, and even he's been known to be off-the-wall a few times. Often, you can be as steady if not steadier than Kasumi. You've manage to run this farm in the black for the last several years."

"Yes, but Kasumi has to manage a house full of crazies - I think she edges me out for the toughest job," she answered.

Ryoga shrugged and the grin retreated a little, but didn't go away. He came in and walked around the desk. Then he kissed her and said: "Whatever path you choose, I'll walk it with you; whether it be Olaf's, Happosai's - or your own." He kissed her again and left her in peace.

"My own path," she murmured after a while. "That's what my friends and loved ones wish for me. Happosai gave me no choice, but Olaf did. Mímisbrunnr is giving me a choice too. It's not trying to hypnotize me; it's just trying to be innocuous. And, ultimately, it's from Yggdrasil - the Tree of Life." She reached for the vial. "I'm a farmer, a servant of the Earth and a tender of Life." She broke the top off of the vial and dabbed her fingertips with it. "My choice," she murmured again. She touched the four sore spots on her forehead, and then drank the remainder of the Water.

Instantly, she felt as if someone had pulled cotton from her ears and blinders from her eyes. The room seemed brighter and her hearing improved greatly. Realizations flooded through her mind and a number of things clicked into place. She turned to check her forehead in the mirror and saw that the spots had vanished. Ryoga flew into the room - she could hear his heart racing. "Are you all right?" he demanded.

She slowly smiled at him and then suddenly leaped over the desk at her lover/fiancé, tackling him. "You are a complete moron sometimes. Of course I'm all right. And I love you very much," she told him.

"Great," he muttered. "Not only is my wife-to-be smarter than me, now she's wiser too."

Akari kissed him. "Nope, just wiser - but I already was." She kissed him again. "That's all right, you're still stronger and faster, but you have to show me how to be tougher.

"Are you O.K.?" he demanded again.

Her face grew serious. "Yes, Honey, I am. Olaf was right. I'm still me. Now we need to take steps so that I stay me. I need you to go and roust Katsunishiki. He understands you. Tell him it's an emergency and I need him to guard the farm tonight."

"I can guard the farm," Ryoga told her.

"No, you'll be guarding *me*," she returned firmly. She got up and pulled him up too. "C'mon, Happosai's not one to wait - he grabs what he wants. We have things to do before bed. Go get Katsunishiki." Ryoga got up with a nod and started to leave the room, but Akari stopped him by saying: "Honey, you forgot something."

Ryoga half-smiled and replied: "I love you too."

"Told you you were smart," she said to him.

* * *

Happosai looked down on the quiet farm. "I have to complete the Consecration for Henna to See her and I have the three flasks now. I can get this done tonight," he thought confidently to himself. He could see the wards surrounding the farm, but had taken steps to counter them this time. "This will be a piece of cake." The old man took out his first bottle - and weapon - and ran forward to a nearby tree. Then he ran to a bush. He ducked under a split rail fence and entered the yard proper. He paused behind a large rock and studied the farmhouse.

As he watched, a rumbling sort of growl broke out around him. "Must have woken the Guardian Spirits," he thought. He grabbed an amulet hanging around his neck. "The Council assured me that this would prevent spirit damage." He started to run forward again, but a heavy hand (hoof?) suddenly pressed down on his head hard enough to stop him cold. The hoof spun him and Happosai now stared at the rock. It was definitely growling. He looked higher and higher at the rock until he recognized a hog's head high a top of it. It did not look amused.

"Oh crap," Happosai thought. "I can't Sense him and he can definitely see me." He popped the top off the Jusenkyo bottle and said out loud: "You know what, my friend? You could use a diet!" With that, he splashed the sumo pig with Water. The grey pig blackened for a moment in the back yard lights and then returned to his normal color. Unfortunately for Happosai, he didn't change into a little piglet. "Oh hell…the Spring of the Drowned Piglet doesn't work on an actual pig." That resigned thought was the last thought Happosai had for quite some time…

* * *

A/N: Short final chapter coming to wrap this up - especially what happened in the last paragraph. I was going to end this here, but answering Flameraven's review made me think of a better ending (Reviews are important!).


	8. Katsunishiki

Chapter 8: Katsunishiki

Akari watched Ryoga talk with the police officer as Happosai was loaded into the ambulance. Finally, the officer said "Goodbye" and turned to have a few words with an EMT. Ryoga walked back to the front door.

"What's do they think happened?" Akari asked.

Ryoga motioned for her to go inside. She did and he followed her in. When the door was firmly shut, he answered: "They think it was a payback. The police know Happosai's history and figure he finally ticked off the wrong person - someone with enough money to hire the Yakazu."

"So they don't think Katsunishiki's responsible then?"

Ryoga gave a small snort. "What? That a pig was somehow smart enough to break every bone possible without endangering the victim's life? The farm is known far and wide for raising exceptional livestock, but no one believes they are *that* exceptional."

Akari drew herself up to protest, but then stopped and relaxed. Her face took on a resigned expression as she said: "I suppose it's better that they think that."

Ryoga just nodded his head and asked: "Now what?"

She gave another sigh. "Now, we confront the 800 kg sumo pig in the room." With that, she led the way to the kitchen.

* * *

The couple walked out into the barn where Katsunishiki was hiding. "It's all right, boy," Akari called out. Her hands were behind her back. "Everyone's gone." The pig ambled forward with a sigh and a slightly guilty expression on his face.

"Normally, I'd say you went overboard," Ryoga commented with a slight wince. "But, this is Happosai. I'm afraid a little thoroughness is called for." Katsunishiki's face became grim at the gnome's name. "It's done. Drop it." Ryoga advised the animal. The sumo pig just made a face and then shrugged.

"Katsunishiki?" Akari started. The pig shifted to look at her. "Why did you let him hit you with Jusenkyo Water? You knew he'd have some." The pig now looked at her with confusion. "Why did you bother confronting him?" she pressed. "You're capable of getting the drop on him. He couldn't detect you."

"For that matter," Ryoga chimed him. "How does somebody manage to miss someone your size? And yet, you somehow manage to make people not notice you." Katsunishiki looked even more confused. "There's also the matter of the large hole that just appeared in the backyard," Ryoga finished. Something unidentifiable crossed the animal's face.

"There's also one big question that needs answering," Akari continued. She brought her hands around from her back. There was a large mug steaming in the cold air in one of her hands. "What happens if Jusenkyo Water hits a shape-shifter?" She threw the water at the sumo pig.

Instantly, she and Ryoga had to jump clear as mud appeared from nowhere and flooded away from the pig. When they landed, both of them looked at Katsunishiki, who now had a resigned look on his face. Other than that, the pig looked the same as always. Akari looked at her lifelong guardian and quickly picked her way back through the mud to the sumo pig. She then hugged the animal. Relief appeared on the pig's face. "You're an Elder Animal, aren't you?" Katsunishiki nodded his head. "You've been guarding my family for a long time, haven't you." Again, the sumo pig nodded. "There have been lots of little clues here and there, but it took Mímisbrunnr's help for me to pull everything together."

"You can understand us perfectly," Ryoga stated as he came closer and placed a hand on the side of Katsunishiki's head. "You understand the rules of Shogi." The Elder Animal gave him a crooked grin. "You can make yourself practically unnoticeable. You often turn up in the nick of time when needed. You could identify Tofu in his other form when he let himself out of Kasumi's window." At Katsunishiki's questioning glance, Ryoga answered: "He told us - he noted that you didn't react to a fox the way you should have."

"Pigs only live to about twenty years, but you're still in peak physical form," Akari said. "Despite the fact that Dad said you were born about the same time I was. You faked your death and snuck into a new litter of pigs, didn't you?" The pig chuckled audibly now. "Hanging out with Maomolin and the different Kitsunes threw us off track. We just assumed that Elder Animals could talk if they wanted to." Katsunishiki drew back a little and tapped his jaw with a hoof. Akari nodded her head. "Your mouth can't form the proper words, and you refuse to be anything other than you are." The Animal drew himself up proudly.

Ryoga made a dismissive gesture. "Hey, I understand completely. You have a right to be proud." Katsunishiki relaxed and winked at him.

"Again, hanging out with Maomolin and Tofu misled us," Akari continued. "They use Illusion and Metamorphosis to perform their shape changes - Elder pigs use Transmutation instead."

"Tofu and Hideo also call it Alchemy," Ryoga supplied. "But we didn't know until we saw the pit in the ground. You pull and dump to the Earth." Katsunishiki just nodded.

"So why did you let Happosai hit you with Jusenkyo Water?" Akari asked again.

The sumo pig winced and the human couple watched as he seemed to age before their eyes. Skin sagged here and there, and his skin seemed to develop hard scales in places. A faint cloudiness could be seen in his eyes.

"Oh no…" Akari whispered as tears started in her eyes.

"I thought Elder Animals were immortal?" Ryoga asked quietly.

Katsunishiki shook his head sadly.

"No," Akari sniffed as she rubbed her eyes. "I see it now. They do age, but slowly due to the magic they managed to learn. But Time is relentless - they have to keep learning new magic." She looked at her faithful swine companion. "You spent too much time watching my family and not enough learning new magic to stay young." Katsunishiki just shrugged.

"All right, enough's enough," Ryoga said. He picked up the mug from where Akari dropped it and walked over to the water trough beside the barn wall. He dipped the mug in the water, walked back, and splashed Katsunishiki with the cold water. A little black piglet now stood where the sumo pig had been. The piglet looked directly at the couple for a few seconds and then nodded. The mud that had poured off Katsunishiki now flowed back onto the piglet and within moments, Katsunishiki was back.

"O.K.," Ryoga started. "But you're shortcut has some flaws. You've traded one weakness for another. Eventually you'll get to the point where hot water will kill you."

Katsunishiki began tapping the ground with a fore hoof in a very measured beat.

"One step at a time," Akari translated for him. The sumo pig stopped when she finished.

Ryoga shrugged. "All right, true enough," he admitted. He seemed lost in thought for a minute of so and then said: "You know, me, Ranma, and Mousse have all been 'locked' into our other shapes at different points in time, and it took a hell of a lot of effort to break the locks. There seems to be no end to the ways it can happen."

"Such as?" Akari prompted.

"Pressure points, probably moxibustion,…" the Lost Boy started.

Katsunishiki shook his head.

"Potions…" Ryoga continued.

Katsunishiki threw Ryoga a dirty look and stomped on the ground.

"Hey, I wasn't suggesting the potion Genma hit Ranma with - I'm sure there are others," Ryoga answered soothingly. "There are curse re-enforcers out there - many of them…" Ryoga continued and then he went suddenly silent.

"What?" Akari prompted.

"A ways back, Ranma, Mousse, and I tangled with a group from China called the Musk. They had something called the 'Pail of Preservation' that could lock a Jusenkyo curse. There was only one cure - the 'Pot of Liberation'. It's a long story, but the short of it was that the three of us were locked by the Pail, and we fought the Musk to gain the Pot. The whole fight set off an earthquake, and the Pot and Pail were lost after we broke the lock…" He looked thoughtful again.

"Do you know where they were lost?" Akari asked.

"They're buried under the remains Horai Mountain," Ryoga continued. "The Musk think they are destroyed, but Artifacts are usually pretty hardy. I wonder…." He paused again and then added: "I looked for them briefly before we left the area, but my powers weren't as developed as they are now." He looked down at his hands and they glowed slightly to his surprise. "Suma just said he'd help us."

"So, if we get the Pail, Katsunishiki could get locked in his younger form?" Akari pressed.

The pig's eyes looked very bright at the question.

"Yes," Ryoga agreed. "He could basically double his life span and give himself time to get back on track. We could get the items and give them to Maomolin afterwards to keep them out of trouble."

"That's wonderful!" Akari cried.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Ryoga cautioned. "We don't know that the items are intact anymore. We have to look."

"But it's a start," Akari proclaimed. "And maybe we'll find other answers along the way. We can talk to Olaf, and maybe the Lorekeepers as well. We can start this Spring as soon as…"

She was cut off as Katsunishiki stomped a fore hoof on the barn floor - hard. The two humans turned to see the pig shaking his head side-to-side.

"But Katsunishiki," Akari responded to the 'No'. "You're family and we really shouldn't put off…"

Katsunishiki scraped a rough symbol of a clock in the little bit of mud left on the floor.

Akari looked at the clock and said: "Yes, there's time, but why put it off?"

The pig scraped out another symbol. The lightning bolt was easy to identify.

"The Storm," Akari translated softly.

Katsunishiki nodded and pointed at her, then at Ryoga, and then at himself. Finally, he pointed firmly at the ground.

"We need to stay here," she sighed.

Ryoga sighed in turn and said: "He's right. We need to be in Nerima for the Storm, otherwise everyone loses." Then he straightened up: "But after the Storm, we can go to Horai and look around."

Now the pig nodded agreement.

Akari's eyes now had a little twinkle in them as she looked at Katsunishiki and stated: "And maybe - just maybe - we can give *you* the baptism this time around."

* * *

A/N: And done. Hope you enjoyed it. It's time to return to "Kasumi's Wedding" - I'm happy with where it's going finally. See you there!


End file.
